Ada King, Countess of Lovelace, c 1840.

UNITED KINGDOM - JULY 25: Engraving by Joseph Brown after a drawing by Alfred Edward Chalon, c 1840. Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace (1815-1852) was the daughter of the great Romantic poet Lord Byron (1788-1824). She was a writer and a trained mathematician. King acquired fame by working with Charles Babbage (1791-1871) on the world's first computer, the �Analytical Engine�, which could carry out many different types of calculations. She designed several computer programmes for the engine which were coded onto cards with holes punched in them - thus becoming the world's first computer programmer. The universally recognised computer language ADA is named after her. Published by Richard Bentley & Son, London, 1893. Dimensions (overall): 225mm x 145mm. (Photo by SSPL/Getty Images)