The Unsung Heroes of Tech: Women Who Revolutionized Computing

Computing used to be a man's world. But let's face it, men don't have a monopoly on being geniuses. While we tip our hats to pioneers like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, it's high time we give credit where credit is due. At Softalya, we admire the fearless women who made seismic strides in the field. They were the ones who dared to dream big and to take the road less traveled, even when society told them they couldn't. They were the firestarters, igniting flames of change in their wake. So grab a cup of coffee, put on your thinking cap, and prepare to be blown away by the incredible stories of these brave and bold women.

Ada Lovelace (10 December 1815 – 27 November 1852)

Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace, was an accomplished mathematician and writer who made a made a monumental contribution to the field of computer science. But her impact went far beyond mere calculations and number-crunching. Lovelace was the visionary who recognized the true potential of Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine, and she wasn't shy about sharing her genius with the world. She was truly ahead of her time, even if she was a few bytes behind us.

The Analytical Machine was an early mechanical general-purpose computer conceptualized by British mathematician Charles Babbage in the 19th century. The machine was designed to perform complex mathematical calculations, and it utilized punch cards to input data and perform operations. There is no evidence that anyone before?Babbage?had ever conceived of such a device, let alone attempted to build one.

Lovelace's mindset of "poetical science" led her to ask questions about the Analytical Engine, examining how individuals and society relate to technology as a collaborative tool. In her eyes, poetry and science weren't polar opposites, but complementary forces that could unlock the secrets of nature. Similarly, she saw the Analytical Engine as a tool not just for computation, but for artistic expression as well. "The engine might compose elaborate and scientific pieces of music of any degree of complexity or extent," she wrote, "such as no musician could ever produce."

Ada Lovelace's notes on the Analytical Engine, which she labeled alphabetically from A to G, were like a rare fruit that changed the entire flavor of the computing world. They covered a wide range of topics, from basic operations to mind-bending algorithms that could make your head spin. These notes were more than just words on paper; the algorithm allowed the Analytical Engine to compute Bernoulli numbers, making Ada the first-ever published computer programmer.

The Bernoulli numbers are a sequence of numbers that crop up in many different areas of study, including number theory, calculus, and probability theory. Specifically, they are used to calculate the coefficients of power series expansions, which are a way of expressing complicated functions in terms of simpler ones.

Grace Hopper?(December 9, 1906 – January 1, 1992)

Born way back in the misty days of 1906 in the bustling metropolis of New York, Hopper was a woman ahead of her time. She kicked off her academic journey at the prestigious Vassar College before earning advanced degrees from the hallowed halls of Yale University. After teaching mathematics at her alma mater, she took a leap of faith and joined the Naval Reserve in 1943, rising through the ranks to become a lieutenant and being assigned to the Bureau of Ordnance’s (US Navy organization) Computation Project at Harvard University.

It was during her time at Harvard that Hopper penned the first-ever computer manual - "A Manual of Operation for the Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator". The manual was a comprehensive guide on how to operate the Mark I computer and laid the groundwork for future programming manuals. Hopper didn't stop there, though - she went on to design one of the first compilers (which translated a programmer's instructions into computer code) and coined the term "compiler" itself.

The Harvard Mark I was one of the earliest electromechanical computers and was the first operating machine that could execute long computations automatically. It was built by IBM in 1944 and was a massive machine that weighed five tons and occupied a room the size of a small house.

Hopper retired from the Navy with the rank of commander in 1966, but her genius was not to be contained. She was called back to active duty the following year to help standardize the Navy's computer languages, and was promoted to commodore in 1983 before retiring again in 1986. Throughout her illustrious career, Hopper shattered many barriers for women in computing, and it's no surprise that her contributions to the field were recognized with numerous accolades, including the National Medal of Technology and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Sister Mary Kenneth Keller?(December 17, 1913 – January 10, 1985)

In a world where men reigned supreme in the tech industry, the last thing anyone expected was a Catholic nun to don the cloak of a computer scientist and conquer the digital realm. But that's exactly what Mary Kenneth Keller did. From the streets of Cleveland, Ohio, to the prestigious halls of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Keller's journey was a tale of grit, determination, and raw intelligence.

With her devout devotion to the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Keller ventured forth into the world of higher education, obtaining both her B.S. and M.S. in Mathematics and Physics from DePaul University in Chicago. But it was her groundbreaking work in constructing algorithms for analytic differentiation on algebraic expressions that truly set her apart, culminating in her doctoral dissertation on Inductive Inference on Computer Generated Patterns.

Inductive inference on computer-generated patterns is like being a detective trying to solve a mystery. Except in this case, the detective is a computer, and the mystery is finding a pattern in a set of data created by a computer. It involves using data-driven methods to identify underlying patterns and regularities, and to develop models that can be used to make accurate predictions about new data.

Keller's passion for computers was infectious, and she believed that they held the power to democratize education and increase access to information. She founded the computer science department at Clarke College, where she directed the department for twenty years and helped establish the Association of Small Computer Users in Education (ASCUE). Her unwavering commitment to advancing the field of computer science reminds us that with faith, determination, and a healthy dose of technical know-how, anything is possible in the wild and wondrous world of computing. Not to mention the occasional espresso shot and a few all-nighters!

Katherine Johnson (August 26, 1918 – February 24, 2020)

Katherine Johnson's life story reads like a cosmic odyssey. From her early days as a child prodigy (she attended high school at just ten years old) to her groundbreaking work as a mathematician for NASA, Johnson's intellectual prowess and unwavering determination were a force to be reckoned with.

As a member of the West Area Computing unit, Johnson and her fellow "West Computers" defied the odds and shattered stereotypes by providing critical mathematical calculations that helped shape the early U.S. space program. Despite facing segregation and discrimination, Johnson's exceptional talent and unwavering focus led to her co-authoring a groundbreaking research paper in 1960 — a feat that made her the first woman in her field to receive credit as a research report author.

But Johnson's true star power came to light during NASA's Mercury program, where she played an integral role in calculating the trajectory for Freedom 7, the spacecraft that launched the first American astronaut into space. Truly, Katherine Johnson was a star among stars. Her impact on the space program will be felt for generations to come, and her legacy will continue to inspire future explorers to reach for the stars and beyond.

Jean Jennings Bartik?(December 27, 1924 – March 23, 2011)

Born in Missouri back in '24, Jean Jennings Bartik was the sixth of seven kids. Her dad was a schoolteacher and farmer, and her mom was a homemaker. But this little firecracker was destined for greatness! Even as a teenager, Bartik was able to show off her mad math skills at her local one-room school. At 14, she was already driving to high school every day like it was no big deal, graduating at the top of her class as salutatorian.

With a degree in mathematics in hand, Bartik hit the ground running as a human computer at the Army Ordnance. Her days were spent manually calculating ballistic trajectories, a gig that brought her face-to-face with her future husband, William Bartik, an engineer working on a Pentagon project at the University of Pennsylvania. You know what they say about love in wartime, right?

But Bartik didn't let love slow her roll — she applied to be one of the first programmers for the Electronic Numeric Integrator and Computer (ENIAC), which was developed in 1946 to calculate those same ballistics trajectories. And she made the cut. Along with Betty Holberton, Marlyn Wescoff, Kathleen McNulty, Ruth Teitelbaum, and Frances Spence, Jean was part of the "Sensational Six."

The Sensational Six were the pioneers of ENIAC's programming, with no manual to guide them, they relied on interviews with the engineers who built the computer, along with countless diagrams, to teach themselves how to operate the machine. Bartik and Holberton would go on to lead the pack, skillfully navigating the ENIAC with ease.

That's not to say that Bartik didn't face her fair share of obstacles and discrimination. Her incredible contributions and those of her female peers were often brushed aside or overlooked. This was due in part to the male labor shortage during the war, which allowed women to enter these industries but also led to their dismissal or demotion once men returned to work.

Mary Allen Wilkes?(September 25, 1937 – Present)

Mary Allen Wilkes is a true Renaissance woman - a lawyer, former computer programmer, and logic designer who has made a lasting impact on the world of computing. Born with a curious mind and a thirst for knowledge, Mary was a precocious child who excelled in academics. Despite the prevailing attitudes of her time that discouraged girls from pursuing careers in science and technology, Mary persevered and earned a degree in mathematics from Wellesley College.

But Mary's ambitions didn't end there. She set her sights on a field that was still in its infancy at the time – computer programming. With no formal training in the subject, Mary taught herself how to code and began working on a machine that would change the course of history. Her moment of glory came in 1965 when she successfully programmed the first operating system for a personal computer, a prototype known as the LINC. This feat was particularly remarkable given that the LINC was a cutting-edge technology of its time and that Wilkes had to write the program from scratch without any pre-existing templates or guidelines.

LINC, or Laboratory Instrument Computer, is a computer system that was developed in the 1960s at the MIT Lincoln Laboratory. LINC was designed to be a versatile and user-friendly system that could be used for a wide range of scientific and engineering applications.

Carol Shaw (1955 – Present)

Born in the vibrant city of Palo Alto, California, in 1955, Shaw's love for computers was sparked in high school, where she first discovered the thrills of playing text-based games on the school's computer.

As she entered the male-dominated video game industry, the odds were stacked against her. Nevertheless, her talent shone through. After earning her Master's degree in Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley, Shaw was recruited by none other than the gaming giant, Atari, Inc. Her first project, Polo, may have never seen the light of day, but her debut creation, 3-D Tic-Tac-Toe (1978), marked the beginning of her fruitful career.

But her crowning achievement was undoubtedly the mega-hit game, River Raid. With its pulse-pounding action and sky-high stakes, this vertically scrolling shooter had gamers hooked for hours on end. And it wasn't just a financial success - it cemented Carol Shaw's place in gaming history as a bona fide legend.

River Raid is considered one of the first scrolling top-down shooters. Selling just over 1 million copies on the Atari 2600, it was hailed as one of the best games of its era.

Post her prolific time at Activision, Shaw returned to her old stomping ground at Tandem Computers, where she'd first cut her teeth as a programmer. She went on to embrace early retirement in 1990, a truly remarkable feat in the world of computing.

As we wrap up our journey through the annals of tech history, one thing is clear: the contributions of women have been nothing short of electrifying. From Ada Lovelace's visionary insights to Hedy Lamarr's revolutionary wireless communication, these ladies were the circuit breakers that sparked the digital age. Raise a keyboard in honor, anyone?

Puns aside, we celebrate Ada Lovelace, who not only recognized the potential of computing long before her time but also captured the beauty of its potential in her words. We applaud Grace Hopper, whose contributions to the development of computer programming still resonate to this day. We honor Mary Allen Wilkes, who broke barriers and ventured into the unknown, making her mark in the tech industry's history. May their stories continue to inspire us to push boundaries, embrace our uniqueness, and boldly go where no woman has gone before.