1843
Ada Lovelace Analytical Engine notes
AdaA language commissioned by the U.S. Department of Defense — designed for safety-critical systems. Lovelace's 1843 notes described how Babbage's Analytical Engine could compute Bernoulli numbers — often cited as the first algorithm meant for a machine.
What it was for
Lovelace envisioned programs beyond pure calculation — music and symbols — foreshadowing general-purpose computing. Her notes are a cultural milestone for women in computing and the idea of software distinct from hardware.
People
- Ada Lovelace — author
Why it's here
Lovelace articulated the concept of machine programs before computers existed.
Why it mattered
She separated 'operations' from the engine that executes them — the seed of software.
What it solved
Babbage's designs lacked a clear account of how instructions could drive general computation.
Media
ImageAda Lovelace daguerreotype (1843)Antoine Claudet, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Related
- Ada 95 standardizedFebruary 1995