A little after the dinosaurs and some time before iPads, there existed a contraption eight feet high, fourteen feet long and seven feet wide. It consisted of 200 miles of wiring and weighed 29000 pounds. Thanks to Grace Murray Hopper, that is what used to be a computer.
In 1928, when many women were concerned with matrimony and homemaking, Hopper graduated with honors in Physics and Mathematics, poised to make a revolutionary impact. She went on to earn her Master’s degree, and Phh.D both from Yale University. Returning to Vassar as a Mathematics professor, her classes were popular for her palpable passion, and extensive and expanding knowledge. But in 1944, Hopper left Vassar to begin what would be a 42 year career with the Navy and a significant contribution to technology.
In her time with the Navy, Hopper developed the first ever compiler for a computer programming language, consequently leading to the development of the most ubiquitous business language to date, COBOL – a step in technological history with present-day consequences. Hopper was also one of the first programmers of the Harvard Mark I computer, and is credited with popularizing the term ‘debugging’, after she and her associates removed a dead moth from the interior of a Mark II to correct a malfunction. In her lifetime and after, Hopper received numerous honors for her encouragement of passion and innovation, including Microsoft’s Women@Microsoft Hoppers Scholarship.
Although the Admiral never sailed out to battle, she launched a fleet of ideas that continue to revolutionize technology today.
VASS 101: 