Ada Lovelace Day ― Date, History, and Details
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History of Ada Lovelace Day and How to Celebrate/ Observe It
Ada Lovelace Day (ALD) is an annual celebration of the life and work of Ada Lovelace, held on the second Tuesday of October. The day is organised by the Ada Initiative, a non-profit organisation dedicated to encouraging participation of women in open technology and culture.
Ada Lovelace was born in 1815, the only legitimate child of Lord Byron and his wife Anne Isabella Milbanke. She was educated privately at home, where her interests in mathematics and logic were encouraged. In 1833 she met Charles Babbage, who was working on a machine he called the Analytical Engine, and she became fascinated by its potential.
In 1842 Lovelace wrote a description of the engine and how it could be used to calculate Bernoulli numbers. This note is generally recognised as the first computer program.
Lovelace died of cancer in 1852, aged just 36.
ALD was first celebrated in 2009, and has since become an annual event celebrated around the world. The aim of the day is to raise the profile of women in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), and to encourage girls and young women to pursue careers in these fields.
There are many ways to celebrate ALD. Many people choose to write blog posts or articles about women in STEM who have inspired them. Others organise or attend events, such as talks, workshops or hackathons. Some people simply take the opportunity to celebrate the women in their own lives who have been supportive and inspirational.