Page 82 - BBC History The Story of Science & Technology - 2017 UK

People & Personalities / Ada Lovelace

ADA LOVELACE

A VISIONARY

OF COMPUTING

Born in 1815, Lovelace’s fascination with science

and maths defied the expectations of her gender

and she is now considered to be one of the most
important figures in the early history of the

computer. James Essinger explores her

life and legacy

ne of many figures in While living in Canterbury in
the history of science 1828, she conceived the idea of
whose work was only building a steam-powered flying
properly appreciated machine and spent hours trying to work
posthumously, Ada out how it might operate.
Lovelace (1815–52) is Despite Ada’s yearning for a life of the
O regarded as one of the mind, she was directed by her mother to
most important figures in the early history of follow a conventional upper middle class
the computer. Not only was she a woman upbringing. By this point Lady
working at a time when men dominated Byron was one of the wealthiest
science and maths, she also had a farsighted women in Britain, and had the
insight into the potential of computers. influence and power to ensure
Nowadays usually known as ‘Ada Lovelace’, Ada did exactly as she pleased. In
Augusta Ada King-Noel, Countess of Lovelace,
was born Ada Byron on 10 December 1815, Shown as a society lady
the only child of poet Lord Byron and his wife in this 1840 painting,
Ada’s real passion
Anne Isabella Milbanke, usually known as
was for science
Annabella. Byron and Annabella were
and maths
married on 2 January 1815 but by early 1816
Annabella had grown sick of her husband’s
infidelities and the appalling financial
pressures of their married life. She left Byron,
taking Ada with her to her parents. Ada never
saw her father again.
From her childhood, Ada had a fascination
with mathematics. This was encouraged by
her mother, terrified Ada might grow up as
feckless and purposeless as Byron had been,
or be destroyed by an over-active imagina-
tion. The young Ada became close to obsessed
not only by mathematics but also by science.

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