Today In History: Ada Lovelace Is Born

In 2020 I had the pleasure of working with Renata Gaui and Francesca Sewaya on the Gottesman Libraries commissioned work, Warping the Future: How Craft Led To the Digital World As We Know It, an augmented reality art exhibition and program of events that explored the interesting relationship between the history of crafting and the history of coding, with a focus on women pioneers. Prominent among them was Ada Lovelace, an English mathematician and writer, and the only child of the poet Lord Byron and mathematician Lady Byron. Born December 10th, 1815 in London, Augusta Ada King (née Byron), Countess of Lovelace, was regarded as the first ever computer programmer or software developer. Ada Lovelace wrote the algorithm for Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine, a proposed mechanical all-purpose computer that was designed and partly built in 1837. She was a futurist thinker in reflecting upon technology as a collaborative tool through which individuals and society relate, and she has become inspiration for girls and women in STEM curriculum, not to mention art at the Gottesman Libraries. With thanks and remembrance, today in history.

The following articles are drawn from Proquest Historical Newspapers, which informs and inspires classroom teaching and learning.

• Misfortune Of a Calculating Woman: Bright Spark. (1991, Apr 30). The Guardian (1959-2003)

• Kozma, A. (1996, Nov 03). Getting With the Program: Women Tuning In To Computers Bit By Bit. Chicago Tribune (1963-1996)

• Thompson, S. (1997, Oct 09). A Loom With a View. The Irish Times (1921-)

• Woolley, B. (1999, Aug 14). Child Of Poetry, Bride Of Science. The Guardian (1959-2003)

• Dwan, B. (2001, Mar 05). The First Queen Of Computing? The Irish Times (1921-)

• O'Brien, D. (2010, Mar 26). Ada Lovelace Will Have Her Day After All: Ada Lovelace's Ideas Are Commonplace In Technology Today But Her Gender Is Drastically Under-Represented. The Irish Times (1921-)

• Lillington, K. (2010, Mar 26). New Role For Science Heroine Of the Past: Ada Lovelace Day Highlights Women's Role In Technology Over Centuries. The Irish Times (1921-)

• Odwyer D. (2011, Oct 28). Inspiring: [Legends]. The Irish Times (1921-)

• Lillington, K. (2015, Aug 12). Changing the Way Female Students Think About Careers In Technology: The Ada Lovelace Initiative Is Bringing Women In Tech Into Secondary Schools. The Irish Times (1921-)

• Trail-Blazers The Real-Life Role Models For Girls In Stem. (2019, Feb 21). The Irish Times (1921-)

Tips:

• Essinger, James. Jacquard’s Web How a Hand-Loom Led to the Birth of the Information Age. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. e-book

• Evans, Claire Lisa. Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. New York, New York: Portfolio Penguin, 2018. Curriculum QA76.2.A2 E93 2018

• Hollings, Christopher, Ursula Martin, and Adrian C. Rice. Ada Lovelace: The Making of a Computer Scientist. Oxford: Bodleian Library, 2018. Stacks QA29. L72 H65 2018

• Hurt, Avery Elizabeth. Ada Lovelace: Mathematician. New York: Cavendish Square Publishing, 2018. e-book

• Lew, Kristi. Ada Lovelace: Mathematician and First Programmer. New York: Britannica Educational Publishing in association with Rosen Educational Services, 2018. e-book

Images:

• Ada Lovelace Portrait, Watercolor by Alfred Edward Chalon, circa 1838, Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

• Special News Slide, Courtesy of the Gottesman Libraries

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Need to keep current, look to the past, teach a topic? The Everett Cafe features daily postings of news from around the world, and also promotes awareness of historical events from an educational context. Be sure to check the news postings on Learning at the Library, where you can delve into history.