Ada Lovelace (1815-1852) was always interested in mathematics and believed in the power of future technology. Although her legacy was cut short due to cancer, she left an impression for future mathematicians and computer programmers. She is also an inspiration to many women in STEM-related fields of study.

As a child, Lovelance (then Byron) had a fascination with machines. She would design imaginative boats and steam flying machines and would pore over diagrams of new inventions of the Industrial Revolution. Although she was the daughter of poet Lord Byron, Lovelace's mother encouraged her mathematical abilities through tutoring in an attempt for her daughter to avoid inheriting a "volatile poetic temperament."

Her tutoring paid off as she predicted the tremendous capabilities of modern-day computers. Many call Lovelace the "world's first computer programmer." She was close friends with inventor Charles Babbage, who called her "an enchantress of numbers." She was among the first to believe that machines would be capable of much more than math computation.

Her notes on Babbage's invention, called the analytic engine, include the first algorithm intended to be processed by a machine. This inspired future generations to explore what else machines would be capable of. In 1842 she translated and expanded on notes by Italian mathematician Luigi Menabrea about the analytic engine -- a machine of pulleys and gears that would perform math functions. Her notes included several "programs" that would make the machine function to solve various equations.

She went on to theorize that perhaps the analytic engine would be able to "compose elaborate and scientific pieces of music..." and more functions that could be input, analyzed, or created by a machine.

One way a group honors her ideas is by celebrating Ada Lovelace Day on October 16 each year. It is meant to be a day to recognize women working in science, technology, engineering, and math fields. The idea is to encourage people to write stories, talk about, or otherwise recognize women working in STEM fields in the hopes that it will provide younger generations with role models. This international day of celebration helps people learn about these achievements and aims to inspire others to study STEM subjects.

There is also an open-source project called the Ada Initiative, which is a non-profit group that encourages women to become involved in open-source software programming.

While Lovelace might not have known the exact importance of the computer, she did believe that it would be capable of much more than could be imagined at the time.