Lovelace, (Augusta) Ada, Countess of, n�e Byron 1815-52
English writer and mathematician

The daughter of Lord Byron, she taught herself geometry, and was educated in astronomy and mathematics. Acquainted with many leading figures of the Victorian era, she owes much of her recent fame to her friendship with Charles Babbage, the computer pioneer. She translated and annotated an article on his Analytical Engine written by an Italian mathematician, L F Menabrea, adding many explanatory notes of her own. The 'Sketch of the Analytical Engine' (1843) is an important source on Babbage's work. The high-level universal computer programming language, ADA, was named in her honour, and is said to realize several of her insights into the working of a computer system.

Bibliography: Doris Langley Moore,Ada, Countess of Lovelace: Byron's Legitimate Daughter (1977)