image (C)Sidney Padua at 2D Goggles
I took the pledge over at http://findingada.com/ to blog about Women in Science on March 24th. I think this is a fabulous venture to raise awareness for just how much women have contributed to the pursuit of knowledge.
And just who was Ada Lovelace? Not only the daughter of the infamous Romantic poet Lord Byron, but a very interesting woman in her own right! Many credit her as being the first author of a computer program. She was a good friend and close collaborator with Charles Babbage, inventor of computer-precursors the Analytical Engine and Difference Engine — he thought them up, but it was Ada’s keen mathematical mind that went about the task of making these machines programmable. (They also fought crime, according to this reputable source.)
Ada also had style — check out her enigmatic calling card left once for Babbage over here: Very Interesting indeed! I wish I warranted stationary like that, but am sadly not of the aristocracy. Nor, I suppose, of the Victorian era…
As a woman with a Humanities background, I am well aware of how under-represented women’s contributions are in the face of standard Western history. More frequently, though, more attention is being drawn to the disparities and to the women who have made valuable contributions to art, music, literature, war, medicine, natural history, and so on. This academic trend needs to continue, and to work its way into the daily mindset of Western culture. Blogs can help with this!
Do you know of a woman who is a “hero” to science or knowledge? Blog about her today!
Aemmeleia's Ephemera 