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# Ada Lovelace

Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace (née Byron; 10 December 1815 – 27 November 1852) was
an English mathematician and writer chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage's proposed
mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine.

She was the first to recognise that the machine had applications beyond pure calculation, and
to have published what is now regarded as the first algorithm intended to be processed by a
machine. As a result, she is often regarded as the first computer programmer.

## Early Life

Ada Lovelace was born on 10 December 1815 as the only legitimate child of the poet Lord Byron
and his wife Anne Isabella Milbanke. Byron separated from his wife a month after Ada was born,
and left England for good four months later, dying in Greece in 1823 when Ada was eight years old.

Her mother, Lady Byron, was an amateur mathematician who nicknamed Ada "The Princess of
Parallelograms". Lady Byron was determined that her daughter would not follow in her father's
poetic footsteps, and arranged for Ada to be privately educated in mathematics and science.

## Education and Mentors

Ada Lovelace was tutored by William Frend, William King, and Mary Somerville, the noted
researcher and scientific author. She corresponded with scientist and inventor Charles Babbage,
and was particularly taken with a letter from him about his Difference Engine — a simpler
calculating machine he was constructing at the time.

At age 17, Ada met Babbage at one of Charles Babbage's soirées and became enraptured by the
Difference Engine. Charles Babbage introduced her to his mentor Mary Somerville, through whom
she met other scientists including Michael Faraday.
