A look at Ada Lovelace

Ada Lovelace was the only child in her family not born out of wedlock on December 10, 1815. In her era, children born to parents who were not married were shunned, and their families shamed. Her father, the famous poet Lord Byron, left her and her mother when Ada was an infant, leaving her and her mother to fend for themself in a society that looked down on women. Ada’s mother was determined to raise her daughter to be stronger than she ever was and encouraged an interest in reading, math, and science. This was revolutionary in her time.

Lovelace was often ill, and for a year, she was paralyzed due to measles. After a long recovery, she was able to walk with crutches. When she was twelve, she started experimenting with the idea of human flight and spent many years studying birds and attempting to create wings so she could soar above all her problems.  She approached the problem methodically, examining birds and investigating various materials that could serve as wings—feathers, paper, silk. She wrote a book titled Flyology describing the art of flying.

Her love of physics and math continued into her adulthood. She is well known as the first computer programmer. Since 2009, she has been recognized on October 15 to celebrate the contributions that women have made to early math and science.  She is also credited with co-creating the Analytical Engine (considered the first mechanical computer and a precursor to modern computers), which she helped develop alongside Charles Babbage, thereby changing the world forever.