The Story of Ada Lovelace： The World's First Computer Programmer

Augustus Ada King, Countess of Lovelace, was an English mathematician and writer, chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage's proposed mechanical general purpose computer, the Analytical Engine. She was the first person to recognise that the machine could be applied to tasks beyond pure calculation. Her work on this led her to publish the first algorithm intended to be carried out by such a machine, and as a result, she is sometimes regarded as the first to recognise the full potential of a computing machine and one of the first computer programmers. Ada Lovelace was born in 1815. She was the only legitimate child of poet Lord Byron and his wife Lady Byron. He died of disease when Ada was only eight years old, and her mother promoted Ada's interest in mathematics and logic to prevent her from developing her father's perceived insanity. Although often ill in her childhood, Ada was a keen student who loved her work. At the age of 20, she married William King in 1835. King was made Earl of Lovelace in 1838, meaning Ada became the Countess of Lovelace. Her bright intellect and deftly managed social life brought her into contact with scientists such as Andrew Cross, Charles Babbage, Sir David Brewster, Charles Wheatstone and Michael Faraday, contacts who she used to further her education. Ada described her approach to science as poetical. Her mathematical talents led to a long working relationship and friendship with fellow British mathematician Charles Babbage. She was particularly interested in Babbage's work on the analytical engine. Between 1842 and 1843, Ada translated an article from an Italian engineer on Babbage's calculating machine, supplementing it with an elaborate set of her own notes. These notes contain what many consider to be the first computer program, that is an algorithm designed to be carried out by a machine. Sadly, her work was cut short as Ada died of cancer in 1852 at the age of 36. Lovelace's notes were important in the early history of computers. She developed a vision of the capability of computers to go beyond mere calculation, while many others, including Babbage himself, focused only on those capabilities. Her mindset of poetical science led us to ask questions about the analytical engine and examined how individuals and society relate to technology as a collaborative tool.