Ada Lovelace's Milestones
Birth
Ada Lovelace was born Augusta Ada Byron in London, England, to poet Lord Byron and Annabella Milbanke.
Parents separated
Her parents separated when Ada was five weeks old; she was raised solely by her mother.
Father left England
Lord Byron left England for Europe, never to see Ada again; he died in 1824.
Early education
Received an advanced education in mathematics and science, guided by her mother and tutors including Mary Somerville.
Early illness
Suffered from severe headaches and measles as a child, which left her temporarily paralyzed.
Designs flying machine
At age 12, Ada conceptualized a flying machine, showing early creativity and scientific interest.
Mathematics tutelage
Studied advanced mathematics with Mary Somerville and Augustus De Morgan.
Debut in London society
Presented at court and entered London high society, meeting leading scientists and intellectuals.
Met Charles Babbage
Met mathematician Charles Babbage, who demonstrated the Difference Engine, inspiring her lifelong interest in computing.
Correspondence with Babbage
Maintained a long and intellectually rich correspondence with Charles Babbage on mathematics and computing.
Marriage to William King
Married William King, who became Earl of Lovelace in 1838; Ada became Countess of Lovelace.
Birth of first child
Gave birth to her first child, Byron King-Noel.
Birth of second child
Gave birth to her daughter, Anne Isabella (Lady Anne Blunt).
Birth of third child
Gave birth to her son, Ralph Gordon King-Milbanke.
Translation of Menabrea's article
Translated Luigi Menabrea's article on Babbage's Analytical Engine and added extensive notes, including the first published algorithm for a machine.
Health struggles
Suffered from chronic illness, including uterine cancer and likely opiate addiction in her final years.
First computer program
Wrote what is now recognized as the first computer program—an algorithm for the Analytical Engine to compute Bernoulli numbers.
Scientific interests and gambling
Pursued interests in mathematics, science, and gambling; attempted to devise mathematical schemes for betting.
Death
Ada Lovelace died of uterine cancer at age 36 and was buried beside her father, Lord Byron, in Nottingham.
Posthumous recognition
Recognized posthumously as the first computer programmer; honored by the naming of the Ada programming language and Ada Lovelace Day.