We’ve officially hit 2,000 books in the database! We’ve created a fun way for readers to go on a sapphic book finding mission to get familiar with this new resource. Four prizes of a $15 Amazon gift card will be awarded in drawings on November 9, 16, 23, and 30. For complete rules, click here.
Now let’s get to today’s history lesson: Ada Lovelace
On November 27, 1852, Ada Lovelace died.
She was the sole legitimate child of Lord Byron, who expected to have a son, and was upset when his wife gave birth to a girl. Ada’s parents separated when she was young. Despite their separation, Ada’s mother continued to make allegations about Lord Byron’s immoral behavior with other women. Due to this, Ada did not enjoy the best reputation in Victorian society. Her father died when she was eight, but she didn’t have a relationship with him.
Ada wasn’t close with her mother, either, although, given the social climate and laws favoring fathers in custody disputes, Lady Byron had to pretend she was a doting mother. She’d write letters inquiring about Ada’s life with the intention of those letters being used as proof in court that she was a loving parent. In one of those letters, Lady Bryon referred to Ada as it.
Her mother alleged Lord Byron suffered from insanity, so she encouraged Ada to pursue mathematics to avoid a similar fate. Ada’s aptitude in the field emerged when she was seventeen. Through her tutor, Ada met Charles Babbage in 1833. He was impressed by her analytical skills, calling her “The Enchantress of Numbers.”
Ada’s known for her work on Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine, a planned general-purpose computer, much like a calculator. She saw something Babbage didn’t, believing the proposed device had uses beyond calculations. It’s thought Ada published the first algorithm and she’s considered the first computer programmer. The device was never built by Babbage, and the first general-purpose computer wasn’t constructed until 1941, more than one-hundred years after Babbage shared his concept.
Ada Lovelace died at the age of thirty-six from uterine cancer.
To honor Ada Lovelace, we’re asking readers to go to the BookFinder and look up books in the following Theme category: Family Relationships.
Find a book you haven’t read yet, or if you come across an old favorite, share it and tell us why. To enter the giveaway, share your entry in the Facebook group.
Remember, the more days you play, the more entries you’ll receive for the $15 Amazon gift card, so don’t forget to check back tomorrow for another Book Finding Mission.
Authors, if your books aren’t in the database yet, we highly recommend you submit them now. Here’s the form.
