The Untold History Of Women In Tech
Our history is rooted in the incredible achievements of women in tech, from Ada Lovelace and Hedy Lamarr to Grace Hopper, Annie Easley, and Ladia Perlman. These women have made significant contributions to the industry, and their legacies continue to inspire us today. We are proud to celebrate and honour the achievements of women in tech, both past and present. Join us in discovering more about these amazing women, and help us share their stories.
Where It Began
Ada Lovelace
Was a 19th-century mathematician who was the world's first computer programmer. She wrote the first algorithm designed to be processed by a machine and published it in 1843. She is celebrated today as a pioneering figure in computer science and a role model for women in Tech. She even has an Ada Lovelace Day designated as the second Tuesday of October.
Hedy Lamar
Was an Austrian-born actress and inventor, during World War II in 1941, she and co-inventor, Goerge Antheil, developed a frequency-hopping system. Originally intended to help guide torpedos without being detected by the enemy. It took decades for her revolutionary technology to be fully embraced, but it's inspired the WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS technologies we use today.
Grace Hopper
Was a trailblazer in computer science and a pioneer in the development of modern technology. She was also the first woman to graduate from Yale with a PhD in mathematics. In 1947 on the 9th of September, she recorded the first computer bug after she and her colleagues at Harvard opened up some hardware to discover what was causing the errors. Unlike the bugs we face today, it was an actual bug, a moth. We celebrate Tester day on the 9th of September to mark this great discovery.
Annie Easley
Was a computer scientist and mathematician who became a NASA rocket scientist. A groundbreaker for gender and racial diversity, and when hired, she was one of only four black employees at the lab. Her development work on the software for the Centaur rocket has been used in a number of NASA missions. Throughout her career, she participated in many outreach programs and broke down many barriers by becoming an Equal Employment Opportunity counsellor.
Radia Perlman
Is a computer scientist and network engineer who is famous for her invention of the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), a technology that helps to prevent network loops and ensure reliable data transmission in computer networks. Her revolutionary work has been an essential component of our modern computer networks. Currently holds over 100 issued patents and many prestigious awards and works today for Dell EMC.
Today
Reshma Saujani
Is an American lawyer, activist, and politician best known for founding Girls Who Code and the Marshall Plan for Moms. Her non-profit organisations aim to close the gender gap in technology by providing opportunities for girls to learn coding and computer science and advocate for policies that value women's work in and out of the home. Her work has taught over 300,000 girls to code and reached over 14 billion online engagements through the girls who code movement.
Sofia
Is a software development student and one of the creators of this site. 2 years ago she took the risk in changing careers from fashion to Tech having little to no experience with the field but with a hope to achieve something great.
Hannah
Five years ago, she discovered her love for coding after she built a custom add-to-quote feature for her employer's website. Now, she's on her journey to become a developer. With the help of funding provided by the Welsh government, she began her Level 5 Diploma in Web Application and Development through code institute in late February 2023. She helped contridute this site, thanks to her awesome hackathon team.