A very happy Ada Lovelace Day to everyone!

Ada Lovelace Day happens on the second Tuesday in October each year and was founded in 2009 by Suw Charman-Anderson. You can learn more about how this day is commemorated internationally via the Finding Ada Network.

As you might know, Ada Lovelace was a legendary English computer scientist and STEM icon who is frequently credited as being an early pioneer of computer programming.

Lovelace was an associate of Charles Babbage (polymath and engineer) and created a program for his early computer prototype, the Analytical Engine. Her talents, contributions, and visions for tech nearly a century before the first programmable computing machine was invented (and during an era of particular social and political restriction of women) have cemented Lovelace as a figure of inspiration.

In celebration of Ada Lovelace Day, we'd like to know...

Which women have inspired your programming journey? Whether these women are famous figures or family members, we'd love to hear from you, regardless of your gender!

... Tell us in the comments below!

Finally, on this day and always, let's not forget that Ada Lovelace represents a fundamental truth that is too often overlooked or suppressed: aptitude and genius have absolutely nothing to do with gender. The tech industry in particular needs to do more for women and other underrepresented groups who have helped create the field, especially as just 26% of computing-related jobs are held by women, 3% by Black women, 7% by Asian women, and 2% by Hispanic women. (source)