A historical figure in Mathematics and Computer Programming, Lady Augusta Ada Lovelace (10 December 1815 – 27 November 1852) is viewed as the first computer programmer in the world.

Her expository works on the Analytical Engine, a computing prototype developed by the father of the computer, Charles Babbage, and her computational method for calculating a sequence of Bernoulli numbers using the Analytical Engine, also considered the world’s first computer program, have earned her remarkable fame in the computing field despite her early demise at aged 36.

Figure: Cycles and cycles of cycles (Loops and nested loops) (Source: Wolfram Writings)

Figure: Ada Lovelace’s “Diagram for the Computation by the Engine of the Numbers of Bernoulli” (Source: Wolfram Writings)

W. Stephen, CEO of Wolfram Research, claims Augusta Ada Lovelace (AAL) was the first ever to discuss the idea of universal computation, deviating from the notion of specialized computation (using computers in specialized fields such as military and research) in her time. In his writing, Stephen shares that he believes AAL would have expanded the use cases of traditional computation to other fields such as producing algorithmic music, and would have generalized the use cases of computers, had she lived longer.

AAL was friends with several renowned historical figures, including but not limited to Charles Babbage, Charles Dickens, Prof. Augustus De Morgan, Mrs. Mary Somerville, and Michael Faraday (who called her the rising star of Science). She worked closely with Babbage who was much older than her. When translating an article written by an Italian mathematician about the Analytical Engine, she exchanged letters with Babbage frequently, asking questions, making propositions, and expecting validations. He, impressed by her expository writing about the Analytical engine, greeted her as the ‘Enchantress of Number’ in one of the letters between the two.

Ada’s devotion to mathematics did not remain the same always. During her childhood, it was her mother’s (Annabella Milbanke) way to keep her daughter away from the thoughts of her father Lord Byron, who left the two alone when she was 5 weeks old, by teaching history, literature, languages, geography, music, chemistry, sewing, shorthand, and mathematics. Later, her inspiring one-year-long visit to Europe, aged 11, sparked her interest in studying “flyology”, mimicking bird flight with steam-powered machines. She was set back, however, for 3 years when she was discovered with measles and ended up at bed rest. Even after marriage, she could not wholly focus on her career as a mathematician due to societal and familial issues, being the mother of three children. Regardless, her supportive husband, William King-Noel, motivated her to pursue her interest in Mathematics, which she did.

Ada was very much interested in understanding the Human Nervous System through Mathematics. In one of her letters to the son of Mrs. Somerville, she wrote, “I hope to bequeath to the generations a Calculus of the Nervous System.” However, her dreams and aspirations remain unaccomplished as she left us on November 27, 1852 AD. Three months earlier, she had written, “I begin to understand Death; which is going on quietly & gradually every minute, & will never be a thing of one particular moment.” She suffered from cancer, which her doctor disclosed only a couple of months before she died.

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While we celebrate May 12, the birthday of Maryam Mirzakhani, as the International Women in Mathematics Day, we also celebrate every second Tuesday in October as the Ada Lovelace Day and cherish the contributions of women to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

– Atith Adhikari