Name: Ada Lovelace (Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace)

Field: Computer Science and Mathematics

Bio: Lived 10 December 1815 – 27 November 1852 (died at age 36) in the UK. Ada was the daughter of poet Lord Byron and his wife Lady Byron, though she was not close with either parent. Despite her lifelong bouts of severe illness, Lovelace studied hard. Partly out of fear that she might have inherited her poetic father’s ‘insanity’, her mother ensured that Ada was privately educated to a high standard, especially in logical pursuits like mathematics. Ada still harboured a belief that imagination was key to scientific breakthroughs and described her approach to science as ‘poetical’.

Fun fact: There is a computer programming language named after Ada, invented by the US Department of Defence and used in safety-critical programming applications, like software for aeroplanes. Since 2009, Ada Lovelace Day has been celebrated around the world on the second Tuesday of October, with the aim of raising the profile of women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

Contributions to Science: Ada worked closely with the so-called ‘Father of Modern Computing’, Charles Babbage. Lovelace is credited with writing the first-ever computer program, becoming the world’s first computer programmer. She is also thought to be the first person to recognise the potential for computers to be used for more than mere calculation, proposing that a computer might be able to compose original music if programmed to do so.

Further info: Wikipedia page, biography.com, computerhistory.org