The number of women in the technology industry is not large, but their presence and contributions to technological progress in countries around the globe are worthy of recognition and admiration.
There’s Lovelace
Ada Lovelace is mentioned as the world’s first computer programmer. Photo: internet
Ada Lovelace (1815–1852), British mathematician, is considered the first computer programmer when she wrote an algorithm for Charles Babbage’s computer in 1821. She was the daughter of poet Lord Byron, her life is a battle between logic and emotion, poetry and mathematics during periods of declining health.
In 1833, Mary Somerville introduced Ada Lovelace to Charles Babbage, beginning a partnership. By 1842, Lovelace translated and analyzed Babbage’s Analytical Engines, proposed the first algorithm for computers and developed the concept of loops, laying the foundation for modern computer programming.
In Note G, she asserts that computers cannot generate new ideas but only carry out the instructions given to them. Lovelace’s work was highly regarded, with Babbage calling her “the witch of numbers”. By 2018, a printed copy of Lovelace’s notes sold for $125,000, affirming her lasting value and influence in the technology field.
Grace Hopper
Grace Murray Hopper (1906-1992), a United States Navy commodore and computer scientist, laid the foundation for the field of computer science by becoming the first programmer of the Mark I and created the first compiler for a programming language.
She was the first programmer of the Mark I computer and created the first compiler for a programming language. Photo: internet
In 1950, Grace Hopper invented the compiler, a tool that converted natural language into machine language, simplifying the programming process and minimizing errors. In 1952, she introduced the compiler. Although met with skepticism, she affirmed its ability to convert natural language to machine code.
This led to the birth of COBOL, a business-oriented programming language that allows programmers to use English statements such as “Deduct income tax from salary” instead of complex technical code. COBOL is still widely used in data processing today.
Margaret Hamilton
Margaret Hamilton (August 17, 1936) graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Earlham College. In 1959, at the age of 24, she joined MIT as a programmer, collaborating with Edward Norton Lorenz, the founder of chaos theory, and her husband was also studying at Harvard Law School. During this period, Hamilton contributed to software development and programming for meteorological systems.
Hamilton applied and was accepted for a challenging project – developing code for the Apollo program to send humans to the Moon. In 1965, she led a programming team at MIT’s Draper Laboratory, marking her pivotal role in aerospace history.