The First Lady of Software: Grace Hopper
The ‘First Lady of Software’, Grace Hopper, would become one of computer programming’s greatest influences.
US Navy computer ctrs. Commodre Grace Hopper in her office. Getty Images
Written by Julia Cao
Otherwise known as the “First Lady of Software”, Grace Murray Hopper has become one of computer programming’s greatest influences. Grace Hopper is recognized for her innovative improvements to computers, computer programming, and programming languages. Despite being in a male-dominated workplace, Hopper has excelled beyond belief. Many men have looked down upon her and underestimate her due to her gender, dismissing her achievements as mere coincidences. She has clearly proven them wrong through her numerous accomplishments, one of which was programming the first large-scale computer in the United States. She was an innovator for her time, and even now, her work still applies to the world today.
Hopper was rewarded for her accomplishments to the point where her work was recognized everywhere. In 1973, she became the first woman to join the British Computer Society. She obtained the first Man of the Year award from the DPMA (Data Processing Management Association) in 1969, as well as the National Medal of Technology in 1991. She had over 40 honorary degrees, and many would name groups, awards, and establishments after her. She was a pioneer in her field and was well-renowned across the world.
Grace Hopper was born in New York on December 6, 1906, and attended a preparatory school before turning to Vassar College, where she obtained her bachelor’s degree, shortly attending Yale University after. Hopper received a Ph.D. and master's in mathematics from Yale in 1934. In 1943, Hopper joined the Navy’s Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service. Shortly after, she started working for Harvard on the Bureau of Ordnance Computation Project.
Grace Hopper coined the term “computer bug”. Computer History Museum.
The Bureau of Ordnance Computation Project is where Hopper would create the Mark I, a beginning prototype for the computer. This was a huge breakthrough, as it paved the way for many new and completed versions of the computer to be created. During her work on the Mark I, she would create a new term to describe computer faults. This word was the ‘bug’, which is commonly used in today's speech.
Hopper contributed to the creation of the first electronic computer: UNIVAC (Universal Automatic Computer). While working on this project, she had the notion of automatic programming and would try to find new ways to code. She created the A-0, which created machine-readable code, which was necessary to create many of today’s languages.
Grace working on the Harvard Mark I Computer. Computer History Museum.
Despite many disapproving of Hopper’s ideas, she never let it stop her. She had the idea of programming with words instead of symbols. She created the FLOW-MATIC, which would be the first program to use words. This would be a huge step for computer programming. This brought new people to the community of programmers because using words would be more user-friendly across the board. People would be able to understand the language more easily and want to learn it; because of Hoover’s creation, a whole new wave of programmers would come.
Hoover defied expectations of women through her excellent contributions to computer programming. She made significant contributions to STEM and achieved remarkable success in a male-dominated society. Through her new inventions such as the UNIVAC and FLOW-MATIC, Hoover created a new platform for programming that no one else had even fathomed. Her inventions have influenced new programming languages today, and she is necessary in the everyday lives of people today. Grace Murray Hopper has been an exceptional woman in programming, and she shows how anyone can create.
Sources
“Biography of Grace Murray Hopper.” Office of the President, 10 Feb. 2017, president.yale.edu/biography-grace-murray-hopper. Accessed 24 Oct. 2023.
“Grace Brewster Murray Hopper · Virginia Changemakers.” Virginia.gov, 2023, edu.lva.virginia.gov/changemakers/items/show/171#:~:text=Grace%20Brewster%20Murray%20Hopper%20(1906%20%2D%201992)&text=Known%20as%20%22the%20first%20lady,D. Accessed 24 Oct. 2023.
“Hopper, Grace - National Women’s Hall of Fame.” National Women’s Hall of Fame, 2018, www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/grace-hopper/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2023.
