Women's History Month: Women in Technology

During the month of March, we like to give a little extra attention to all of the amazing accomplishments of strong, determined women. Since 1987, the United States has formally recognized March as National Women’s History Month. Specifically, March 8th is recognized as International Women’s Day.

Let’s take a look at some of the women who have made a profound impact in the field of technology. Whether it was in the 1800s or the 21st century, we certainly would not be where we are today in terms of technology if it weren’t for these women.

Ada Lovelace (1815-1852): Distinguished Mathematician

Ada Lovelace is known as the world’s first computer programmer. Born in London, Ada was homeschooled by her mother and had several tutors. Her mother insisted that she was taught science and mathematics.

Lovelace’s mathematical talent shone through in her early life. Her skills and interests in machines lead to a working relationship with Charles Babbage. Babbage is the inventor of the “Analytical Engine.” This invention consisted of complicated device that was never actually created, but resembled the elements of a modern computer. (1)

Lovelace has been referred to as the very first programmer. This is because she had written notes that explained how the notion of a specific engine could transition calculation to computation. It was Lovelace’s notes on the Analytical Engine that Alan Turing used as a form of inspiration for his work on the first modern computer in the 1940s.

Grace Hopper (1902-1992): Acclaimed Computer Scientist

Grace Hopper was born in New York and attended Yale University in 1930 where she received a PH. D in mathematics. In 1943, she joined the Naval Reserve and retired in 1966. During the years as a Naval Reserve, Grace joined the Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corp. This was where she designed a compiler which translated programmer’s instructions into computer codes. (2)

In 1957, Hopper’s division developed the first English language data processing compiler. After retiring from the Naval Reserve, she was recalled helping standardize the navy’s computer languages. Her work led to the development of COBOL, an early programming language that is still used to this day. In 1947, she recorded the worlds first ever real computer bug.

At the age of 79, she was known as the oldest officer in the navy before she retired in 1986. She has been given several awards. One of them was awarded by Barack Obama as the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016. It is said that she coined the phrase: “it is often easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.”

Hedy Lamarr (1914-2000): The Inventor of WiFi

Hedy Lamarr was a self-taught inventor and film actress. She was awarded a patent in 1942 for her “secret communication system”, designed with the help of the composer George Antheil. This frequency hopping system was intended as a way to set radio-guided torpedos off course during the war. The idea eventually inspired Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth technology commonly used today. (1)

In 1997, Lamarr received the Electronic Frontier Foundation Pioneer Award and the Bulbie Gnass Spirit of Achievement Bronze Award. These awards are given to individuals whose creative lifetime achievements in the arts, sciences, business, or invention fields have significantly contributed to society.

Without Lamarr’s innovative ideas and patent, we might not have the same WiFi and GPS technology that we have today. And let’s face it, we’d all be lost without our GPS (literally!).

Annie Easley (1933-2011): NASA Rocket Scientist

Easley was born in Birmingham, Alabama and attended Xavier University. Shortly after finishing her degree, she landed a job at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). She was one of only four African Americans who worked there. Check out our other blog post, “Black Innovators in Technology” to read about more influential Black inventors.

Easley developed and implemented a specific type of code which led to the development of the battery’s used in hybrid cars today. Additionally, she was also a rocket scientist – literally. Easley’s vital work on the Centaur rocket project while at NASA laid the foundations for space shuttle launches in the future.

She is most well-known for being one of the famous women in technology for encouraging women and people of color to study and enter STEM fields.

Mary Wilkes (1937-Present): The First Home Computer User

Wilkes was born in Chicago and graduated from Wellesley College in 1959 where she majored in philosophy and theology. Wilkes initially planned on becoming a lawyer; however, she was discouraged by friends and mentors because of the challenges women faced in the law field.

One of Wilkes’ 8th grade teachers actually told her, “Mary Allen, when you grow up, you ought to be a computer programmer.” She worked in the field as one of the first programmers for a number of years before pursuing law and becoming an attorney in 1975.

She is recognized in the field of computer science for creating the design of the interactive operating system LAP6 for the LINC. This design creation was one of the earliest such systems for a personal computer. She is also known for being the first person to use a personal computer in the home. (3)

Radia Perlman (1951-Present): Mother of the Internet

Radia Perlman is an American computer programmer and network engineer. She is is most famous for her invention of the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP). STP is fundamental to the operation of network bridges. In other words, her work has had a profound impact on how networks self-organize and move data. (5)

As an undergraduate at MIT, Perlman learned programming for a physics class. She was one among the only 50 or so women students, in a class of about 1,000 students. In 1971, he was given her first paid job as part-time programmer for the LOGO Lab at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. This was were she starting programming system software such as debuggers.

When Perlman was at MIT, there was only one women’s dorm. This limited the number of women students that could study there. When the men’s dorms at MIT became co-ed, Perlman moved out of the women’s dorm into a mixed dorm, where she became the “resident female”. She later said that she was so used to the gender imbalance, that it became normal. (4)

Marian R. Croak (1955-Present): VoIP Inventor

Marian R. Croak is the inventor of Voice over Internet Protocol. VoIP enables us to use our internet network for voice and multimedia communications. As long as you have an internet connection, you can make a call or video chat because of this technology. This includes video conferencing and virtual meetings, so we know the impact it has had on the way we work and communicate.

Marian has had an impressive career in the technology industry. She has over 200 patents in her name. Many of these patents are integral to the internet technologies we use daily. She was an advocate early on for making the switch from wired phone technologies to internet services, and she has been a pioneer and forward thinker throughout her career.

Furthermore, Marian also pioneered the use of phone network services to enable the public to easily donate to humanitarian causes. Currently, Marian is working in research and development at Google.

A Profound Impact

It’s easy to get caught up in the grind of daily life. This month is an perfect opportunity to put a spotlight on all of the major things women accomplish each and every day. All of the women listed above have had a crucial role in our current technology, and we wouldn’t be where we are today without them.