Ada Lovelace

Ada Lovelace (1815–1852) was a British mathematician who is credited with being the world’s first computer programmer. Although she lived at a time when women were rarely taken seriously, Ada recognised the enormous potential of the ‘calculating machines’ that have developed into the computers we know today. Find out more about this inspirational lady, who tragically died young, and use our printables below to test your knowledge.

Fun Facts

• In 1980, the US Department of Defence honoured Ada Lovelace by naming a new computer language ‘Ada’ in recognition of her work.
• Every October (on the second Tuesday of the month), Ada Lovelace Day is held as an international celebration of the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and maths.

Ada Lovelace Quotes

“That brain of mine is something more than merely mortal: as time will show.”

A short biography of Ada Lovelace

Ada Lovelace was born ‘Augusta Ada Byron’ in London, England, in 1815. She was the daughter of the famous poet Lord Byron (George) and Lady Byron (Anne). Just weeks after her birth, however, her parents separated. Lord Byron left England and Ada never saw him again. He died in Greece when she was eight.

Ada had a privileged upbringing. Private tutors taught her fashionable subjects such as French and music, but at her mother’s request she also learnt mathematics and science – subjects that weren’t usually taught to young ladies! Ada’s mother made her work hard at her studies, in the hope it would stop Ada from becoming like her father (who was moody and unpredictable!)

Ada had a gift for mathematics from a young age, and it was a joy for her, at 17, to meet Charles Babbage, an esteemed mathematician from the University of Cambridge. Charles had invented a machine known as the ‘difference engine’, which carried out complicated calculations – a type of early calculator. Charles and Ada became good friends, and he opened her eyes to advanced mathematics.

Ada and her mother were fascinated by science and often visited factories to watch steam-driven machinery in action. One particular contraption that caught Ada’s eye was the Jacquard loom, which wove patterned textiles. The loom used punch cards to dictate the design. If the card was punched, the loom thread would rise; if not, the loom thread would stay still. Ada realised these instructions were a type of coding.

Ada also befriended Mary Somerville, one of the most talented female mathematicians of the time. It was Mary who introduced Ada to William King, whom she married at the age of 19. When William became the Earl of Lovelace in 1838, Ada was named Countess of Lovelace. They went on to have three children together, and socialised with many interesting folk of the time, such as the scientist Michael Faraday and the writer Charles Dickens.

In 1843, Ada was asked to translate a French article on Charles Babbage’s latest invention – the analytical engine. Ada not only translated the piece, but also added many comments of her own. In fact, her notes were three times longer than the original article!

The analytical engine was designed to carry out particularly complicated calculations. But Ada recognised its great potential. She suggested it could do more than just calculations – and we now know it to be the first programmable computer. Ada showed that many concepts, such as music or images or the alphabet, could be converted into numbers that formed the basis of instructions or codes. The machine could then compose music, for example, or create designs based on numbers. She also showed that the machine could repeat instructions - a process known as ‘looping’ which computers use today.

Although the analytical engine was never made, it is now regarded as the model for an early computer, with Ada’s algorithms (written instructions for a computer to follow) recognised as the first computer program. Ada published the article under her initials AAL, but the piece attracted little attention during her lifetime.

Ada died in London in 1852 at just 36 years of age, from uterine cancer. At her request, she was buried next to her father, Lord Byron, at a graveyard in Nottingham, England. Her contribution to the development of computer science wasn’t discovered until nearly 100 years later in the 1950s, and she was granted many honours posthumously (after her death). Ada’s life was cut tragically short, but her legacy is bound to live on in the computer-dependent age we have become accustomed to.

Our Ada Lovelace Resources