March 15, 2021 • 3 mins
Ada Lovelace was the world's first computer programmer. Learn about her life and work with Charles Babbage on an analytical engine in this episode of BrainStuff.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeart Radio. Hey brain Stuff,
Lauren Bogabam Here. If you're surprised that the first computer
programmer in the world was a woman, just wait. Her
story gets even more interesting. Ada Lovelace was also the
daughter a famous poet, Lord Byron, and accomplished her work
(00:22):
during a time when women were rarely allowed to study
mathematics and science. Lovelace was born Augusta Ada Byron in
eighteen fifteen, the daughter of Lord Byron and the wealthy
Isabella Millbank. The two had a stormy marriage, and her
father left the family almost immediately after her birth, never
to see her again. Millbank was furious with her ex
(00:44):
and insisted her daughter's steer clear of poetry, which she
blamed for Byron's wanton and unstable behavior. Instead, Lovelace was
highly encouraged to study science and mathematics, the latter being
Millbank's own area of expertise. This was usual for wealthy
young ladies at the time, who typically only pursued artistic
subjects such as music and painting. Unfortunately for Lovelace, she
(01:08):
had an aptitude for math. When she was in her
late teens, she met Charles Babbage, an accomplished mathematician and inventor. Babbage,
known today is the father of the computer, had invented
the difference engine, a machine that performed simple mathematical calculations.
Now he was working on an analytical engine that would
(01:28):
be able to perform more complex computations. He showed Lovelace
a small working section during their initial meeting, and she
was fascinated. Soon Lovelace became Babbage's protege. Babbage would eventually
give her the nickname the Enchantress of Numbers. But in
eighteen thirty five, shortly after the two began working together,
(01:49):
Lovelace met and married a baron named William King, and
the couple had three children in quick succession, causing Lovelace
to temporarily halt her studies, and during this time her
husband became the Earl of Lovelace and she the Countess,
hence her surname. Not too long after their third child
was born, Lovelace returned to work with Babbage. One of
(02:10):
the first things she did was translate an article on
his analytical engine from French into English. The translation was
published in an English science journal in eighteen forty three,
but the work also included Lovelace's own extensive thoughts and
ideas on the machine, a material that was three times
longer than the original article. Because her notes discussed how
(02:31):
the machine could be programmed to calculate Bernoulli numbers, considered
by some to be the first algorithm carried out by machine, a,
Lovelace is viewed as the world's first programmer. More impressively,
her notes contained visionary references to the concept that similar
machines might also be used to create music, text, pictures,
and sounds, essentially today's modern computer, while Babbage thought they
(02:55):
could only perform numerical calculations. Sadly, Lovelace out of cancer
at the age of thirty six. Charles Babbage was the
executor of Lovelace's will. She requested to be interred next
to her father, Lord Byron, who also died at age
thirty six, even though he hadn't seen her since she
was an infant. Her computing ideas were so advanced that
(03:15):
they weren't recognized until the nineteen forties. Nearly a century later,
in nineteen seventy nine, the U. S. Department of Defense
named its new computer programming language ADA in her honor.
Today's episode was written by Melanie rad Z Pie McManus
and produced by Tyler Clang. For more on this months
(03:36):
of other math magical topics, visit how stuff works dot com.
Brain Stuff is a production of iHeart Radio. Or more
podcasts my heart Radio visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeart Radio. Hey brain Stuff,
Lauren Bogabam Here. If you're surprised that the first computer
programmer in the world was a woman, just wait. Her
story gets even more interesting. Ada Lovelace was also the
daughter a famous poet, Lord Byron, and accomplished her work
(00:22):
during a time when women were rarely allowed to study
mathematics and science. Lovelace was born Augusta Ada Byron in
eighteen fifteen, the daughter of Lord Byron and the wealthy
Isabella Millbank. The two had a stormy marriage, and her
father left the family almost immediately after her birth, never
to see her again. Millbank was furious with her ex
(00:44):
and insisted her daughter's steer clear of poetry, which she
blamed for Byron's wanton and unstable behavior. Instead, Lovelace was
highly encouraged to study science and mathematics, the latter being
Millbank's own area of expertise. This was usual for wealthy
young ladies at the time, who typically only pursued artistic
subjects such as music and painting. Unfortunately for Lovelace, she
(01:08):
had an aptitude for math. When she was in her
late teens, she met Charles Babbage, an accomplished mathematician and inventor. Babbage,
known today is the father of the computer, had invented
the difference engine, a machine that performed simple mathematical calculations.
Now he was working on an analytical engine that would
(01:28):
be able to perform more complex computations. He showed Lovelace
a small working section during their initial meeting, and she
was fascinated. Soon Lovelace became Babbage's protege. Babbage would eventually
give her the nickname the Enchantress of Numbers. But in
eighteen thirty five, shortly after the two began working together,
(01:49):
Lovelace met and married a baron named William King, and
the couple had three children in quick succession, causing Lovelace
to temporarily halt her studies, and during this time her
husband became the Earl of Lovelace and she the Countess,
hence her surname. Not too long after their third child
was born, Lovelace returned to work with Babbage. One of
(02:10):
the first things she did was translate an article on
his analytical engine from French into English. The translation was
published in an English science journal in eighteen forty three,
but the work also included Lovelace's own extensive thoughts and
ideas on the machine, a material that was three times
longer than the original article. Because her notes discussed how
(02:31):
the machine could be programmed to calculate Bernoulli numbers, considered
by some to be the first algorithm carried out by machine, a,
Lovelace is viewed as the world's first programmer. More impressively,
her notes contained visionary references to the concept that similar
machines might also be used to create music, text, pictures,
and sounds, essentially today's modern computer, while Babbage thought they
(02:55):
could only perform numerical calculations. Sadly, Lovelace out of cancer
at the age of thirty six. Charles Babbage was the
executor of Lovelace's will. She requested to be interred next
to her father, Lord Byron, who also died at age
thirty six, even though he hadn't seen her since she
was an infant. Her computing ideas were so advanced that
(03:15):
they weren't recognized until the nineteen forties. Nearly a century later,
in nineteen seventy nine, the U. S. Department of Defense
named its new computer programming language ADA in her honor.
Today's episode was written by Melanie rad Z Pie McManus
and produced by Tyler Clang. For more on this months
(03:36):
of other math magical topics, visit how stuff works dot com.
Brain Stuff is a production of iHeart Radio. Or more
podcasts my heart Radio visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
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