It’s Ada Lovelace Day!

Did you get a card? A cake? No? Well there's still time to recognize Ada Lovelace Day (ALD), an international celebration day of the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). ALD aims to increase the profile of women in STEM and, in doing so, create new role models who will encourage more girls into STEM careers and support women already working in STEM.


Lovelace is considered the world's first computer programmer. Between 1842 and 1843, she translated an article by Italian military engineer Luigi Menabrea on the engine, which she supplemented with an elaborate set of notes, simply called Notes. These notes contain what many consider to be the first computer program—that is, an algorithm designed to be carried out by a machine. According to sources, she also developed a vision of the capability of computers to go beyond mere calculating or number-crunching.


Founded in 2009 by Suw Charman-Anderson, it is now held every year on the second Tuesday of October. It features a flagship Ada Lovelace Day Live! “science cabaret” event in London, UK, at which women in STEM give short talks about their work or about other women who have inspired them, or perform short comedy or musical interludes with a STEM focus.


Today also includes dozens of grassroots events around the world, organized entirely independently from the ALD Live! event. These events take many forms — from conferences to Wikipedia “edit-a-thons” to pub quizzes — and appeal to all ages, from girls to university students to women with well-established careers. Every year, people in dozens of countries across six continents put on their own event to support women in their own communities.