Computers have been used for thousands for years to assist with counting and other math. More advanced computing devices of the past could predict the movement of the stars. It's worth exploring how the history of computing was shaped and the influential women involved in making today's technology.
Nicole-Reine Etable de la Brière Lepaute
Before computer devices, there were human computers who were essentially just people who were really good at math. Lepaute worked with Alexis-Claude Clairaut and Joseph-Jérôme Le Français de Lalande. The three predicted the Halley Comet's return.
Ada Lovelace
Lovelace is known as the "mother of computer programming". She was taught maths and sciences when she was young which wasn't standard for women at the time. Lovelace quickly showed an aptitude for language and numbers. Eventually, Lovelace met Charles Babbage, also known as the "father of the computer". Lovelace and Babbage worked closely together on the computer. Eventually, Lovelace theorized a method to repeat instructions which we now know as looping. Now, there's a programming language called Ada created to honor Lovelace.
Harvard Computers
Edward Charles Pickering knew that women could do the job just as well as men could and took advantage of the fact he could pay women less for the same work. Many women worked under him at half of a man's pay. These women mapped out the night sky.
Hedy Lamar
Lamar created a radio that would switch frequencies to avoid detection during World War II. The idea later inspired WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS technologies. Lamar was also a well known actress as well as an inventor of many other devices.
Joan Clarke
Clarke worked alongside with Alan Turing to break the Enigma code. She figured out how to speed up the process of decoding the encrypted messages but unfortunately, her technique wasn't named after her.
Code Girls
The code girls were a group of over 10, 000 women cryptographers who helped decode messages during World War II. In 1945, over 70% of the army's codebreakers were women. The code girls were told to say they "sharpened pencils and emptied wastebaskets" if questioned about their work.
So Now What?
- Universities tend to have a WiCS (women in computer science) section
- WiE (women in engineering)
- WiCyS (women in cybersecurity)
Best of luck to everyone on their tech journey!