March is Women’s History Month, a time to honor the trailblazers who have shaped our world. In the tech industry, women have been driving innovation for decades—often without the widespread recognition they deserve. From early computing pioneers to modern-day leaders, their contributions have revolutionized the way we work, connect, and innovate.
Here are some of the incredible women who have helped build the tech landscape we rely on today:
The Hidden Figures and Innovators Who Changed Tech
💻 Ada Lovelace (1815–1852) – The First Computer Programmer
Long before modern computers existed, Ada Lovelace saw their potential. She worked with Charles Babbage on his theoretical Analytical Engine, an early mechanical computer. Lovelace wrote what is considered the first algorithm designed for a machine, essentially predicting that computers could do more than just calculations—they could generate music, analyze numbers, and more. Her visionary work laid the foundation for modern programming.
🔢 Katherine Johnson (1918–2020) – NASA’s Human Computer
A brilliant mathematician, Katherine Johnson played a critical role in the U.S. space program at NASA. She calculated orbital trajectories for some of the first American spaceflights, including John Glenn’s historic 1962 orbit of Earth. Johnson’s calculations were so precise that Glenn himself requested she double-check the computer’s numbers before his flight. Her contributions helped land humans on the Moon and inspired the movie Hidden Figures.
🖥️ Grace Hopper (1906–1992) – The Grandmother of Programming
Grace Hopper was a computing pioneer who helped create the first compiler, a program that translates human-readable code into machine code. Her work made programming more accessible and led to the development of COBOL, one of the first widely used programming languages. She’s also credited with coining the term "debugging" after removing a literal moth from a malfunctioning computer. Hopper’s influence on software development continues to shape technology today.
🎮 Carol Shaw (Born 1955) – The First Female Video Game Developer
Carol Shaw broke barriers in the male-dominated gaming industry by becoming one of the first female video game designers. She worked at Atari in the late 1970s, where she designed River Raid, one of the most iconic early video games. Her contributions helped pave the way for future generations of women in gaming, proving that women had a place in video game development long before it became mainstream.
🌐 Radia Perlman (Born 1951) – The Mother of the Internet
Radia Perlman’s work in network engineering shaped the very foundation of the modern internet. She developed the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), a crucial innovation that made large-scale networking possible by preventing data from endlessly looping in a system. Her work enabled the scalability of networks, allowing the internet to grow into what it is today. Despite her monumental contributions, she remains one of tech’s unsung heroes.
🔍 Joan Clarke (1917–1996) – The Codebreaker Who Helped Defeat the Nazis
Joan Clarke was one of the brilliant minds at Bletchley Park working alongside Alan Turing to break the Nazi Enigma code during World War II. As a cryptanalyst, her work played a crucial role in shortening the war and saving millions of lives. Despite her brilliance, she faced significant gender-based discrimination and was often undervalued compared to her male counterparts. Her story was brought to light in The Imitation Game, where she was portrayed by Keira Knightley.
🚀 Annie Easley (1933–2011) – The Rocket Scientist Who Helped Power Space Travel
Annie Easley was a mathematician and computer scientist at NASA who helped develop software for early space missions. She worked on programs that laid the groundwork for hybrid vehicle batteries and the Centaur rocket, which became the foundation for future spaceflight. Easley overcame racial and gender discrimination, pushing forward despite being one of the very few Black women in her field at the time.
🌈 Lynn Conway (Born 1938) – The Woman Who Revolutionized Computing
Lynn Conway is a computer scientist and electrical engineer whose innovations in Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) microchip design revolutionized computing. Her work in the 1970s made it possible for computers to become smaller, faster, and more powerful, influencing the development of modern processors. In addition to her technical achievements, Conway is a trans rights advocate and has been a strong voice for diversity and inclusion in STEM fields. Her contributions to both technology and the fight for equal representation continue to inspire.
Conclusion
Women have played—and continue to play—an essential role in shaping technology. By learning about their contributions and actively supporting inclusivity in tech, we can create a future where innovation is driven by diverse perspectives and talent.
