Ada
Lovelace
DOZ Inspirational Biography
T
wo kinds of people
pass through the
world; those who
seek to make it
beautiful and those who seek to
destroy what beauty it has. The
choice of where to stand is up
to each individual. One of many
women who chose the positive
side of the coin was Augusta Ada
King, Countess of Lovelace, simply
known as Ada Lovelace.
The brilliant mathematician was born
Augusta Ada Byron in London, England on
the 10th of December 1815. She was the only
legitimate daughter of the reputable poet Lord
Byron and his wife lady Byron. Lord Byron did
have several children born to him out of wedlock.
At birth, Ada was a disappointment to a father
who had very high hopes of having a glorious baby
boy. But does success respect gender? I believe
the accomplishments of Ada correctly answer this
question.
Because of the circumstances surrounding her
birth, she never had the opportunity of enjoying
the love and care of both her parents. Her mother
was ordered by her father to leave the house when
she was only five weeks old, and she returned to
her parents’ home, taking Ada with her. Although
her father never tried claiming authority over her,
he requested that he receive a frequent report on
her welfare.
Under the care and supervision of her maternal
grandmother Lady Milbanke, she grew into a
beautiful young lady blessed with a fantastic brain
that many parents desire for their children.
Her mother deserted her and often referred to her
as “it.” She was under surveillance by her mother’s
friends who checked for moral deviation. She
became a victim of sickness at an early age,
suffering from a vision-obscuring headache at the
DOZ Magazine | August 2019
age of 8 and becoming paralyzed by
bout measles at the age of 14.
Greatness is not handed to
anyone. Instead, it is achieved
through personal development
by an individual who has refused
to permit his/her background to
limit his/her abilities. Ada began
developing her mathematical skills
even when she was sick, and her
health condition made homeschooling
the best option for her.
While learning, she became very close to her
tutor Mary Somerville. Mary would introduce Ada
to Charles Babbage in 1833. Ada’s association
with her tutor transformed her life positively. She
was presented at Court at the age of seventeen.
This was due to her relationship with her tutor
and other acquaintances, including Andrew
Crosse, Charles Wheatstone, Michael Faraday,
David Brewster, and lots more. Her brilliant mind
became her point of attraction.
The young lady who was called “it,” deserted
by her mother and rejected by her father grew
and increased in mathematical knowledge. She
became an English mathematician and writer who
gained world recognition for working on Charles
Babbage’s proposed mechanical general-purpose
computer the Analytical Engine.
She became the first person to recognize the
computer has more than calculation abilities. She
worked and published the first algorithm to be
used on such a machine. This made her one of the
first computer programmers that ever existed.
Deserted, rejected, unloved, sick, but she
became relevant and a great woman with great
achievements. Your background or the attitude
of people towards you is never a reason for you
to fail. There is more for you to achieve if you can
pick yourself up and go beyond the ordinary.
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Mercy James