Who Are the Women Behind Tech’s Biggest Breakthroughs? Unveiling the Unsung Heroes

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Ada Lovelace, born in 1815, is celebrated as the first computer programmer for her work on Babbage's Analytical Engine. Grace Hopper, a computer science pioneer and US Navy rear admiral, developed the first compiler and popularized "debugging." Hedy Lamarr, known for her acting, co-invented a technology foundational to Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth.

Ada Lovelace, born in 1815, is celebrated as the first computer programmer for her work on Babbage's Analytical Engine. Grace Hopper, a computer science pioneer and US Navy rear admiral, developed the first compiler and popularized "debugging." Hedy Lamarr, known for her acting, co-invented a technology foundational to Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth.

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Ada Lovelace The First Computer Programmer

Ada Lovelace, born in 1815, was an English mathematician and writer who is best known for her work on Charles Babbage's early mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine. Her notes on the engine include what is recognised as the first algorithm intended to be processed by a machine. Because of this, she is often regarded as the first computer programmer.

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Grace Hopper The Queen of Software

Grace Hopper was a pioneering computer scientist and a United States Navy rear admiral. Born in 1906, she was one of the first programmers of the Harvard Mark I computer and developed the first compiler for a computer programming language. Hopper's work laid the groundwork for the development of more user-friendly programming languages and she is famous for popularizing the term "debugging" in computing.

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Hedy Lamarr The Inventor of Wi-Fi

Hedy Lamarr was not only a renowned Hollywood actress but also a self-taught inventor. Born in Austria in 1914, Lamarr co-invented an early version of frequency-hopping spread spectrum communication for torpedo guidance. This technology later became the basis for modern Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth communication systems, showcasing her pivotal role in the development of wireless communications.

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Radia Perlman The Mother of the Internet

Radia Perlman, born in 1951, is a computer programmer and network engineer who is most famous for her invention of the spanning-tree protocol (STP), which is an essential part of the Internet's underlying foundation. STP allows network bridges to communicate with each other to avoid loops in a local area network (LAN), making Perlman a crucial figure in the development of today's global internet infrastructure.

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