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Augusta Ada Byron King, Countess of Lovelace (December 10, 1815 London, England – November 27, 1852 Marylebone, London, England),[1] born Augusta Ada Byron, is mainly known for having written a description of Charles Babbage's early mechanical general-purpose computer, the analytical engine. She is today appreciated as the "first programmer" since she was writing programs—that is, manipulating symbols according to rules—for a machine that Babbage had not yet built. She also foresaw the capability of computers to go beyond mere calculating or number-crunching while others, including Babbage himself, focused only on these capabilities.[2] Lovelace, born December 10, 1815, was the first child of the poet Lord Byron and his wife, Annabella.[3] She was named after Byron's half-sister, Augusta Leigh, and was called "Ada" by Byron himself.[4] On January 16, 1816, Annabella left Byron, taking one-month-old Ada with her. Although English law gave fathers full custody of their children in cases of separation, Byron made no attempt to claim his parental rights.[5] On April 21, Byron signed the Deed of Separation and left England for good a few days later. Lovelace never met her younger half-sister, Allegra Byron, daughter of Lord Byron and Claire Clairmont, who died at the age of five in 1822. Lovelace did have some contact with Elizabeth Medora Leigh, the daughter of Byron's half-sister Augusta Leigh. Lovelace and Medora were told by Ada's mother that Byron was Medora's father. Lovelace was often ill starting in her early childhood. At eight she experienced head aches that obscured her vision. In June 1829, she was paralyzed after a bout of the measles. Lady Byron subjected the girl to continuous bed rest for nearly a year, which may have extended her period of disability. By 1831 she was able to walk with crutches. Throughout her illnesses, Lovelace continued her education.[6]
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