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An 1840 portrait of Ada King, Countess of Lovelace, by painter Alfred Edward Chalon. Science & Society Picture Library/Wikimedia Commons
If you're surprised that the first computer programmer in the world was a woman, just wait; her story gets even more interesting. Ada Lovelace was also the daughter of famous poet Lord Byron and accomplished her work during a time when women rarely studied mathematics and science. How Lovelace became an accomplished mathematician and computer programmer is the subject of "The Ada Lovelace Episode: Who was the Enchantress of Numbers?" from the podcast Stuff You Missed in History Class.
Lovelace was born Augusta Ada Byron in 1815, the daughter of Lord Byron and the wealthy Isabella Milbanke. The two had a stormy marriage, and her father left the family almost immediately after her birth, never to see her again. Milbanke was furious with her ex and insisted her daughter steer clear of poetry, which she blamed for Byron's wanton and unstable behavior. Instead, Lovelace was forced to study science and mathematics, the latter being Milbanke's own area of expertise. This was unusual for wealthy young ladies at the time, who typically only pursued artistic subjects such as music and painting.