International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Significant activity is witnessed worldwide as groups come together to celebrate women's achievements or rally for women's equality.
Welcome to the Iamdata Solutions Asset Management Special International Women's Day Newsletter - 8 March 2023
To celebrate International Women's Day, I'd like to introduce my top 10 badass women who changed the tech world forever. These women are not just your average computer geeks, they are straight up tech wizards who have made a significant impact in the industry.
These women changed the tech world forever. Without their work, we wouldn't be where we are today. They serve as an inspiration to all, men and women alike. Do you know their stories? Ok, so without further ado, let's get acquainted with the top 10 women who changed the tech world.
Ada Lovelace: The World's First Computer Programmer
Ada Lovelace is considered to be the world's first computer programmer. She worked on Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine, a device that resembled the elements of a modern computer but was never actually built. However, Ada wrote the first algorithm intended to be processed by the machine and it was Ada's notes on the Analytical Engine that Alan Turing used as a form of inspiration for his work on the first modern computer in the 1940s. Without Ada Lovelace, we may not have had the first computer program and the world of coding would be a completely different place.
Grace Hopper: The Esteemed Computer Scientist
Undeniably famous in the tech world, Rear Admiral Grace M. Hopper was an esteemed computer scientist and one of the first computer programmers to work on the Harvard Mark I. She was dubbed as the "Queen of Code," and was a pioneer in computer programming and a leader in the development of COBOL, one of the first high-level programming languages. She also helped develop the first compiler, which translated written language into computer code. Without her, we'd probably still be punching holes into punch cards. In 1947, she recorded the worlds first ever real computer bug, and it is also said that she coined the phrase:
'it is often easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission'.
Hedy Lamarr: The Inventor of WiFi
Until relatively recently, I knew Hedy Lamarr as the beautiful Hollywood actress (my Dad's favourite actress in fact!). Hedy was a beautiful women for sure! But, as well as a Hollywood star she was also a self-taught inventor. During World War II, she and composer George Antheil developed a 'frequency hopping' system to prevent radio-controlled torpedoes from being jammed. This technology is now the basis for modern wireless communication, such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Who knew that the woman who starred in the movie 'Samson and Delilah' was also a tech genius?!
Annie Easley: The NASA Rocket Scientist
Annie was a NASA rocket scientist, and a trailblazer for gender and racial diversity in STEM. When hired, she was one of only four black employees at the Lab. 34 years later, she had contributed to numerous programs as a computer scientist, inspired many through her enthusiastic participation in outreach programs, and broken down barriers as equal employment opportunity counsellor. Easley's vital work on the Centaur rocket project while at NASA laid the foundations for space shuttle launches in the future
Mary Wilkes: The First Home Computer User
Mary is a former computer programmer and logic designer. She is best known for designing the software for the LINC, one of the earliest systems of an interactive personal computer. Her use of the LINC at home in 1965 made her the first ever home computer user, and her work has been recognised at The National Museum of Computing, Bletchley Park.
Adele Goldberg: The Inspiration For GUI
Adele was instrumental in the development of the programming language Smalltalk-80, which inspired the very first Apple computer. Adele is said to have referred to the decision to show Steve Jobs Smalltalk as a way to 'give away the kitchen sink'. She was probably right! The concepts that Adele and her team set in motion became the basis for graphical user interfaces (GUI) we use every day.
Radia Perlman: The Mother Of The Internet
Nicknamed 'Mother of the Internet', Radia’s invention of the algorithm behind the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), was instrumental in making today's internet possible. Her work made a huge impact on the way networks self-organize and move data, and put the basic rules of internet traffic in place. Without her, the internet as we know it would not be possible.
Katherine Johnson: The NASA Mathematician
Katherine’s trajectory analysis as a mathematician for NASA was crucial to the success of the first ever US space flight. Her complex manual calculations were also critical in future space missions, including the first American in orbit, John Glenn. Katherine ran the numbers programmed into the computer at NASA for the flight by hand, at the request of Glenn. Katherine remembers him saying 'if she says they’re good... 'then I’m ready to go.' At age 97, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honour, by President Obama.
“Girls are capable of doing everything men are capable of doing. Sometimes they have more imagination than men”
- Katherine Johnson, NASA Mathematician
Karen Sparck-Jones: The Pioneer in Information Science
Karen was a pioneer in information science, and her work is some of the most highly cited in her field. Her development of Inverse Document Frequency (IDF), a weighting factor which evaluates how important a word is to a document, is now standard in web search engines and used to rank a document’s relevance to a search query. She received the highly acclaimed Lovelace Medal in 2007!
Elizabeth Feinler: The Original Search Engine
Between 1972 to 1989, Elizabeth ran the Network Information Center in California, which was a bit like a 'pre-historic Google.' The NIC was the first place to publish the resources and directories for the Internet, developing the original 'white pages' and 'yellow pages' directories. Her group also developed the domain naming scheme of .com, .edu, .gov, .net, and many more that we use so commonly today.
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So, there you have it, my top 10. These women completely rocked the tech world and changed it for the better. They not only made a significant impact in the industry, but they have also paved the way for future generations of women in technology. They have broken barriers, shattered stereotypes and proved that women can excel in the tech world just as much as men.
Please join me in celebrating these amazing women's achievements and all the amazing women excelling in their fields today.
Happy International Women's Day!
Sources: www.globalapptesting.com
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