Ada Lovelace (1815–1852) was an English mathematician best known for her 1843 notes on Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine, including a procedure to compute Bernoulli numbers. She is widely regarded as the first computer programmer and an early theorist of general-purpose computation.
Last updated February 1, 2026
Born 1815; English mathematician; collaborator of Charles Babbage; authored 1843 Notes on the Analytical Engine, including a procedure for Bernoulli Numbers; commemorated by the [Ada (programming language)]. According to Britannica, she is widely regarded as the first computer programmer.
Early Life and Education
Augusta Ada Byron was born on 10 December 1815 in Piccadilly Terrace, Middlesex (now London), the only legitimate child of the poet Lord Byron and Annabella Milbanke (Lady Byron) Britannica. Her parents legally separated shortly after her birth, and she never knew her father personally Britannica. Despite ill health in childhood, including a bout of measles that left her bedridden for a year, she pursued rigorous studies under her mother’s direction Smithsonian Magazine. She studied advanced mathematics with Mary Somerville and later under the supervision of Augustus De Morgan, professor at University College London Britannica; NIST.
Encounter with Babbage and the Engines
Lovelace met Charles Babbage in 1833, becoming fascinated by his Difference Engine and later his more ambitious Analytical Engine Computer History Museum; Britannica. Introduced by Mary Somerville, Lovelace maintained an ongoing intellectual engagement with Babbage’s designs during the 1830s and early 1840s Britannica.
The 1843 Translation and Notes (A–G)
In 1842 the Italian engineer and mathematician Luigi Federico Menabrea published “Notions sur la machine analytique de Charles Babbage,” a report based on Babbage’s Turin lectures. In 1843 Lovelace translated this memoir into English and appended extensive Notes labeled A–G, which together exceeded the length of the original paper Fourmilab (primary text); Computer History Museum. In these Notes she articulated the distinction between mere calculation and general-purpose symbolic manipulation, writing that “the Analytical Engine weaves algebraic patterns just as the Jacquard loom weaves flowers and leaves” Britannica; Computer History Museum.
Note A explores the Engine’s capacity to operate on general symbols, positioning it beyond “mere calculating machines,” and linking mechanism with the “most abstract” processes of analysis Fourmilab (primary text). In Note G, Lovelace provides a stepwise procedure for computing Bernoulli numbers, including a diagram and table of operations—widely regarded as the first published algorithm intended for implementation on a machine Fourmilab (primary text); Britannica. She also observed that the Engine might act on “other things besides number,” foreshadowing applications to non-numeric domains such as music Computer History Museum.
Marriage, Family, and Continued Studies
On 8 July 1835 she married William King, 8th Baron King; after his elevation to earldom in 1838 she became Countess of Lovelace. The couple had three children: Byron, Anne Isabella, and Ralph Gordon Britannica; Smithsonian Magazine. Following her children’s births, Lovelace resumed mathematics under De Morgan’s guidance and continued correspondence with Babbage on the Engine’s design and potential NIST.
Illness, Death, and Burial
Lovelace’s health deteriorated in the early 1850s. Diagnosed with uterine cancer by 1851, she died on 27 November 1852 at age 36 in Marylebone, London Britannica; NIST. She was buried beside her father in the Byron family vault Britannica; Smithsonian Magazine.
Legacy and Recognition
Lovelace’s Notes are among the earliest and most comprehensive accounts of programmable computation. Historians commonly regard her Bernoulli numbers procedure as the first published computer program and her broader reflections as foundational to the concept of general-purpose computing Britannica; Fourmilab (primary text). Her legacy was further popularized in the mid-20th century, and she is now commemorated widely: the programming language Ada was named in her honor, and Ada Lovelace Day (observed on the second Tuesday in October) celebrates women’s contributions in STEM Britannica; NIST.
Ada Lovelace (1815–1852) was an English mathematician best known for her 1843 notes on Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine, including a procedure to compute Bernoulli numbers. She is widely regarded as the first computer programmer and an early theorist of general-purpose computation.
Last updated February 1, 2026
Born 1815; English mathematician; collaborator of Charles Babbage; authored 1843 Notes on the Analytical Engine, including a procedure for Bernoulli Numbers; commemorated by the [Ada (programming language)]. According to Britannica, she is widely regarded as the first computer programmer.
Early Life and Education
Augusta Ada Byron was born on 10 December 1815 in Piccadilly Terrace, Middlesex (now London), the only legitimate child of the poet Lord Byron and Annabella Milbanke (Lady Byron) Britannica. Her parents legally separated shortly after her birth, and she never knew her father personally Britannica. Despite ill health in childhood, including a bout of measles that left her bedridden for a year, she pursued rigorous studies under her mother’s direction Smithsonian Magazine. She studied advanced mathematics with Mary Somerville and later under the supervision of Augustus De Morgan, professor at University College London Britannica; NIST.
Encounter with Babbage and the Engines
Lovelace met Charles Babbage in 1833, becoming fascinated by his Difference Engine and later his more ambitious Analytical Engine Computer History Museum; Britannica. Introduced by Mary Somerville, Lovelace maintained an ongoing intellectual engagement with Babbage’s designs during the 1830s and early 1840s Britannica.
The 1843 Translation and Notes (A–G)
In 1842 the Italian engineer and mathematician Luigi Federico Menabrea published “Notions sur la machine analytique de Charles Babbage,” a report based on Babbage’s Turin lectures. In 1843 Lovelace translated this memoir into English and appended extensive Notes labeled A–G, which together exceeded the length of the original paper Fourmilab (primary text); Computer History Museum. In these Notes she articulated the distinction between mere calculation and general-purpose symbolic manipulation, writing that “the Analytical Engine weaves algebraic patterns just as the Jacquard loom weaves flowers and leaves” Britannica; Computer History Museum.
Note A explores the Engine’s capacity to operate on general symbols, positioning it beyond “mere calculating machines,” and linking mechanism with the “most abstract” processes of analysis Fourmilab (primary text). In Note G, Lovelace provides a stepwise procedure for computing Bernoulli numbers, including a diagram and table of operations—widely regarded as the first published algorithm intended for implementation on a machine Fourmilab (primary text); Britannica. She also observed that the Engine might act on “other things besides number,” foreshadowing applications to non-numeric domains such as music Computer History Museum.
Marriage, Family, and Continued Studies
On 8 July 1835 she married William King, 8th Baron King; after his elevation to earldom in 1838 she became Countess of Lovelace. The couple had three children: Byron, Anne Isabella, and Ralph Gordon Britannica; Smithsonian Magazine. Following her children’s births, Lovelace resumed mathematics under De Morgan’s guidance and continued correspondence with Babbage on the Engine’s design and potential NIST.
Illness, Death, and Burial
Lovelace’s health deteriorated in the early 1850s. Diagnosed with uterine cancer by 1851, she died on 27 November 1852 at age 36 in Marylebone, London Britannica; NIST. She was buried beside her father in the Byron family vault Britannica; Smithsonian Magazine.
Legacy and Recognition
Lovelace’s Notes are among the earliest and most comprehensive accounts of programmable computation. Historians commonly regard her Bernoulli numbers procedure as the first published computer program and her broader reflections as foundational to the concept of general-purpose computing Britannica; Fourmilab (primary text). Her legacy was further popularized in the mid-20th century, and she is now commemorated widely: the programming language Ada was named in her honor, and Ada Lovelace Day (observed on the second Tuesday in October) celebrates women’s contributions in STEM Britannica; NIST.
