Great Lives

Konnie Huq on Ada Lovelace


Listen Later

From Banking, to air traffic control systems and to controlling the United States defence department, there's a computer language called 'Ada'.

It's named after Ada Lovelace – a 19th century mathematician and daughter of Lord Byron and now championed as a Great Life.

She's been called many things.

But perhaps most poetically by Charles Babbage - whom she worked with on a steam-driven calculating machine called the Difference Engine - an 'enchantress of numbers'. Lord Byron called her similarly mathematical mother a "princess of parallelograms".

Augusta 'Ada' Byron was born in 1815 but her parents marriage was short and unhappy. They separated when Ada was one month old and she never saw her father, who died when was eight years old.

Her mother, Annabella concerned Ada might inherit Byron's "poetic tendencies" had her schooled her in maths and science to try to combat any madness inherited from her father.

She's championed by TV presenter and writer – Konnie Huq, most well known for presenting the BBC TV's children's programme - 'Blue Peter'.

Together with expert– Suw Charman- Anderson, a Social technologist, they lift the lid on the life of this mathematician, now regarded as the first computer programmer.

Presented by Matthew Parris.

Producer: Perminder Khatkar

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2013.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Great LivesBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.2
  • 4.2
  • 4.2
  • 4.2
  • 4.2

4.2

465 ratings


More shows like Great Lives

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,874 Listeners

From Our Own Correspondent by BBC Radio 4

From Our Own Correspondent

378 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,074 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,565 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,805 Listeners

Witness History by BBC World Service

Witness History

979 Listeners

In Our Time: Culture by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Culture

615 Listeners

Arts & Ideas by BBC Radio 4

Arts & Ideas

299 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,761 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,051 Listeners

Desert Island Discs by BBC Radio 4

Desert Island Discs

2,000 Listeners

Profile by BBC Radio 4

Profile

109 Listeners

Last Word by BBC Radio 4

Last Word

46 Listeners

Thinking Allowed by BBC Radio 4

Thinking Allowed

307 Listeners

Front Row by BBC Radio 4

Front Row

131 Listeners

Start the Week by BBC Radio 4

Start the Week

160 Listeners

Bookclub by BBC Radio 4

Bookclub

243 Listeners

Private Passions by BBC Radio 3

Private Passions

51 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,222 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

787 Listeners

The Bomb by BBC World Service

The Bomb

1,016 Listeners

This Cultural Life by BBC Radio 4

This Cultural Life

108 Listeners

A Good Read by BBC Radio 4

A Good Read

42 Listeners