About Ada

Quick Facts
Full Name: Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace
Born: London - December 10th, 1815
Best Known For: Writing the first ever algorithms for a computing machine

Born in 1815, Ada Lovelace is sometimes known as the world’s first computer programmer. She was educated by her mother in mathematics and science from a young age and had a fascination with machines. Ada designed fanciful boats and steam-powered flying machines, and loved looking at diagrams in scientific magazines of all the new inventions of the Industrial Revolution, which was happening in England at that time.

The achievement for which Ada is most often remembered is her work on Charles Babbage’s “Analytical Engine”. This monstrous machine was designed by Babbage as the first ever “computer”, that could take programs given to it on special cards and perform all sorts of complex functions. The Analytical Engine was never built, but Ada designed and wrote the first ever published programs for the machine, which not only included complex mathematical analysis, but also programs to create music!

Although Babbage never built his Engine, Ada’s work laid the foundation for the computing revolution we are currently living in. Her notes on the machine, and the complex logic of her programs, were one of the critical documents that inspired Alan Turing while developing the first modern computers in the 1940s. Since 2009, the second Tuesday in October is observed as Ada Lovelace Day, an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women in STEM careers.