Ada Lovelace Day Date in the current year: October 8, 2024
For many centuries, women have traditionally played the role of mothers in society. Even now, considerably less women than men dedicate themselves to scientific research, and when they do so, their scientific achievements are often underestimated. Ada Lovelace Day was created to change this situation and increase the profile of women in STEM.Ada Lovelace Day, celebrated annually on the second Tuesday of October, was created in 2009 in order to raise the profile of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by encouraging people around the world to talk more about the scientific achievements of women. The holiday was named in honor of Ada Lovelace, a prominent English mathematician who is considered to be the first programmer.
Ada Lovelace is known for her work on Charles Babbage’s early mechanical computer, the Analytical Engine. She translated a short article by Luigi Menabrea about the Engine from French into English and was later asked to expand it. Ada understood the Engine so well that her final article was three times longer than the original one, and she even wrote the first program for the Analytical Engine.
Ada died at the age of 36 from uterine cancer. Unfortunately, the engine was never completed so her program was never tested, but Lovelace is still regarded by many as a prophet of the computer age.
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- Ada Lovelace Day, international observance, Ada Lovelace, women in STEM