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As Cardinal Stage prepares to celebrate this year's Ada Lovelace Day, we challenge you to test your Ada Lovelace knowledge!

How Much Do You Really Know About Ada Lovelace?

Ada is the only legitimate daughter of Lord Byron, a famous romantic poet and politician.

Lord Byron

Ada’s father was a famous poet, who was he?

Ada's parents did not have a happy marriage, her father leaving behind his family and having several partners. To make sure that Ada did not take after her father's wild behavior and romantic thinking, Lady Byron raised Ada on logic and reasoning.

Poet Father

From a very young age, Ada was tutored in mathematics and science, an unusual education for a girl of her time. Why was she taught these fields?

Being an atheist, Morgan refused to take the theological test needed to gain fellowship at his alma mater, the University of Cambridge. Instead, Morgan and several liberal-minded men founded the University of London to be a secular institution. He took the role of mathematics professor.

The first mathematics professor at the University of London

When Ada was younger, she was tutored by Augustus De Morgan in advanced mathematics. What was Morgan also known for?

Ada studied the anatomy of birds in order to design a steam engine flying apparatus. Her design consisted of large wings attached to a horse structure, big enough for someone to sit on its back.

A flying machine

Although her most famous work is her contribution to the Analytical Engine, Ada conceptualized another machine at the age of 12. What was it?

Babbage affectionally called her this due to her early interest in creating a flying machine. He also called her "The Enchantress of Numbers" in one of the many letters they sent in between them.

Lady Fairy

What was the nickname Charles Babbage gave Ada?

Ada was a compulsive gambler, once losing as much as £3,200 betting on the wrong horse at the Epsom Derby. Along with Babbage, Ada attempted to create a mathematical program to predict winning horses for horse races.

Gambling Mathematical Model

What was Ada known for later in life?

Ada met Dickens through Charles Babbage, attending several dinners at the author's home. In 1852, Dickens came to read to Ada, who was bedridden due to uterine cancer. He read from "Dombey and Son", his 1848 novel. Ada Lovelace died two months later.

Charles Dickens

In the 1979, the naming of a new military computer language after Ada was unanimously approved by the Department of Defense. "Ada" is still used today, being operated in fields such as aviation, healthcare, transportation, and space industries.

A computer language by the Department of Defense

What was named after Ada in the 1970s?

You haven't learned a lot about Ada Lovelace but no worries! It is never too late to learn, check out some of the great resources online including the official website for Ada Lovelace Day!

Beginner Knowledge

You know a thing or two about Ada Lovelace! Be sure to check out some extra resources about Ada online!

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How Much Do You Really Know About Ada Lovelace?

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