October 11 – Ada Lovelace Day in the U.K.

SecondnTuesday in October
n

nPostednOctober 11, 2016

n
n

nTodaynis NOT Ada Lovelace’s birthday!

n
n

As I wrote years ago, Augusta Ada Byron King, Countess of Lovelace,nwas born on December 10.n But celebrating the world’s first “computer programmer” – bornnin 1815, so we are not talking about programming an IBM or an Apple IIn– is very important in the United Kingdom. And, since December isnjammed with Christmas parties and such, for convenience sake Lovelacenis celebrated on the second Tuesday of October!

n
n

nThisnyear, the second Tuesday of October is MY birthday, too, so I eagerlynwelcome Ada Lovelace Day to my birthday!

n
n

nHerenare some top things you should know about Lovelace:

n
n

nHern father was famed poet Lord Byron. However, her mother left Byronn because of his “immoral behaviour” when Ada was just a baby, andn Byron died when Ada was just 8 years old.
n

n

nHern mother brought her up with a focus on logic, mathematics, andn science.
n

n

nAsn a teen, Ada Lovelace was fascinated by the machinery being developedn (the British Industrial Revolution was in full swing) and designedn steam flying machines.
n

n

nInn 1833 she was introduced to Charles Babbage; the two worked togethern to develop a device called the Analytical Engine, which was an earlyn form of a computer.
n

n

nInn 1842 Lovelace wrote an article about using machines to compute andn to manipulate symbols. She wrote “programs” or lists ofn instructions that the Analytical Engine could carry out; Babbage didn as well, but Lovelace’s programs were more extensive and moren complete. Also, her programs were the first to be published. That’sn why she is often called “the first” computer programmer.
n

n

nAdan Lovelace married William, 8^th Baron King, and became Ladyn King. Later, because Ada was a descendant of the Barons Lovelace,n her husband was made Earl of Lovelace, and she became Countess ofn Lovelace. The couple had three children.
n

n

nShen died at age 36, from cancer. Even though she never knew her father,n she requested that she be buried next to him.
n

n

nModernn computer hero Alan Turing was inspired by Ada Lovelace’s notes!

n

n
n

nCelebratingnAda Lovelace Day is an opportunity to shine a light on all the womennin science, mathematics, and tech fields. It’s an opportunity to talknabout how to open up these fields to more girls and women, and it’snan opportunity to remind ourselves of the positive steps we can takento make the world a fairer place!

n
n

nAlsonon this date: