Who is Ada Lovelace and why are we CELEBRATING Ada Lovelace Day?
I am a man who stands up for women and equality for ALL – Women First.
Ada Lovelace is known as a 19th century Mathematician and Writer. However, you know her for something much bigger.
Ada Lovelace is responsible for the first published computer program.
We shouldn’t leave out Ada’s mother in this story. Ada’s parents separated just five weeks after her birth on December 10th, 1815. Her mother, Lady Byron was a great mathematician and promoted an intense education in science and mathematics for her daughter. Her purpose of this approach was to prevent her daughter from developing similar qualities of her father, who had left.
At the age of 17, Ada met the inventor Charles Babbage who was working on designs for his Analytical Engine-a mechanical general purpose computer that ran off punch cards. We know the results of this invention as key components of CPU (Central Processing Unit) and Computer Memory today. Ada persisted with Charles to work with him as a student, but he rejected her. That is, until Ada impressed him with her own published article. Babbage had written an article in the Swiss Journal about his newest idea-the Analytic Engine. Lovelace translated the article from French to English and added her own notes to the end of the article making it twice as long! This got Charles attention and their collaboration began.
It is within the notes of Lovelace’s additions to Babbage’s article that you can find the first published algorithm intended to be carried out by a machine. This is known as “Note G”
Ada Lovelace was a visionary. She had a vision of what computing could become. Here notes provided the foresight of a world where computers could do much more than calculate complex numerical calculations. She imagined the potential to manipulate symbols beyond numbers. Music and art translation and extensions of human thought are further concepts she expressed in her writing.
We can thank British Scientist, Suw Charman-Anderson for raising the profile of Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. In 2009 Ada Lovelace Day was founded and is celebrated the second Tuesday in October. Events like workshops, panels, and conferences celebrate Ada Lovelace day with a 3-pointed objective:
- Highlight achievements of women.
- Create new roles and encourage more women in STEM career fields.
- Celebrate and Honor Ada Lovelace as the first computer programmer.
Today there is an organization called the Ada Lovelace Institute:
The Ada Lovelace Institute core belief is that the benefits of data and AI must be justly and equitibaly distributed, and must enhance individual social wellbeing.
In practice:
Ensuring that the benfits of new technologies are distributed equitably and potential harms are prevented.
So what does this have to do with why I write? Celebrating and Honoring Women provides hope.
Hope for women and equality for ALL
THIS IS WHAT JESUS WOULD DO.
We celebrate and thank you, Ada Lovelace, for your visions and contributions for the better of humanity. Thank you for giving us your wisdom and strength. Thank you for being the example of how women are equal to men. Thank you for giving US Hope.
CELEBRATE!
