Charles Babbage and ADA Lovelace: The Pen Pals Who Imagined the First Computer

Charles Babbage and Ada Byron met in 1833. He was a widowed forty-two-year-old scientist and inventor, who was trying to figure out how to get his Difference Engine built. She was the eighteen-year-old daughter of the poet Lord Byron and Lady Annabella Byron, whose marriage had disintegrated in Ada’s youth. Through thoughtful narrative accompanied by direct quotes, readers will learn how in Babbage’s plans for the Analytical Engine and Lovelace’s algorithm lies the foundation of the computer hardware and software that would not be developed for another hundred plus years. Sidebars, a chronology, and a further reading list provide more information on this inspirational collaboration.