Who is World's First Computer Programmer?

ElevatEd
Coding
June 22, 2024

Computer programming has gained worldwide recognition as a career choice in the recent past but are you aware of the first programmer in the world? Before diving into the inspiring life of Ada Lovelace, you may want to check out the website of 98thPercentile if you want your child to have a great career in coding.

Ada Lovelace’s Journey as World's First Programmer

In a male-dominated industry, a British woman, Ada Lovelace is known to be the first programmer in the world who worked in the late 19th century, a time when women barely had any rights. Her story is inspiring and commendable. It’s an intriguing story of how she went on to become the first computer programmer.

Childhood and Schooling

Ada Lovelace was a visionary mathematician and writer who was born in 1815 as Augusta Ada Byron. Being the only daughter of Lord Byron and Lady Annabella, Ada was exposed to academic interests from childhood. Though Ada's parents divorced when she was young, her mother made sure she had an education in science and math.

Marriage and Friends

Ada was going to social gatherings by 1834. She met many British intellectuals, including novelist Charles Dickens, who became a lifelong friend. Ada later married William, the eighth Baron King, whom she had met at court. Both Ada and William were descended from nobility and led luxurious lifestyles.

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Introduction to Charles Babbage and Mentoring

Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine, one of the earliest computers, is Ada’s most talked about work. Ada got to know Babbage through Mary Somerville, her friend and instructor. Her interest in computing machines developed after Babbage showed his mechanical computing device prototype.

Ada transcribed a lecture of Babbage from French on his new Analytical Machine in 1842. The translated paper was thrice the length of the original paper and included her notes and amendments. Ada wrote down instructions on how to program the machine after it was constructed to compute specific difficult mathematical proofs, which was the first computer program.

Appreciation and Heritage

Although Ada's findings were recorded in 1843, her contributions were not duly acknowledged until the mid-1900s. Every year on the 2nd Tuesday in October, Ada Lovelace Day is observed to commemorate Lovelace's legacy and the contributions made by women to the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). To honor her, the US Department of Defense christened its in-house computer programming language ADA in 1980.

Ada Lovelace paved the way for the digital world by being the first computer programmer in history. Ada was 32 years old when she passed away from endometrial cancer but the legacy of the world’s first programmer lives on. Enroll with 98thPercentile’s coding program for more such fascinating and inspiring stories along with modern-age technology and bring out your coding potential.