Tech History: The World's First Computer Programmer

Did you know?

The world’s first computer programmer was a woman—Ada Lovelace (bord Augusta Ada Byron)—and she wrote her first algorithm in the 1840s, long before computers even existed as we know them today.

Working alongside mathematician Charles Babbage, who designed the Analytical Engine (an early mechanical general-purpose computer), Ada realized that the machine could do much more than simple math. She theorized it could follow complex instructions and even generate music or art—an incredibly visionary idea for the time.

She wrote what is now considered the first algorithm intended for machine processing, making her the world’s first coder—over 100 years before the first computer program was ever run.

Her work laid the foundation for the future of computing, and today she’s celebrated as a pioneer for both computer science and women in tech.

Other fascinating facts about Ada Lovelace:

• Ada's father was the renowned English poet, Lord Byron, who abandoned her and her mother shortly after she was born. 

• At the young age of 12, Ada envisioned a flying machine, drawing inspiration from the anatomy of birds and various materials. 

• Ada's mentor, Charles Babbage, affectionately nicknamed her the "Enchantress of Numbers" due to her brilliant mind and passion for mathematics

• She described her work as “poetical science” because she believed creativity and logic belonged together—especially in understanding machines.

• She predicted Artificial Intelligence—In 1843. In her notes on she speculated that machines could one day compose music or generate art—early thinking that touches on the core of AI.