Ada Lovelace

Ada Lovelace, circa 1840

Her father, Lord Byron, was a famous poet and a bit of a wild man. "Mad and bad," some called him. Her mother, Annabella Milbanke, was quite the opposite. She was analytical, deeply educated in mathematics, and devoutly religious. They were opposites in life's ways, to say the least. Yet, they married, and less than a year later, Augusta Ada Byron, or Ada Lovelace as the world would come to know her, was born on December 10, 1815.

Despite having a newborn to care for, the tumult from the couple's differences became too much for Annabella to bear. Lord Byron's erratic behavior clashed starkly with her disciplined and methodical approach to life. And then there was his infidelity. Annabella filed for legal separation about a month after Ada's birth.

The couple negotiated that custody of Ada would go to Annabella, and Lord Byron, tired of the negative publicity surrounding him, moved out of the country. Still, Annabella feared the potential influence of his behavior on their daughter. She took it upon herself to shape Ada's future, focusing the young girl's upbringing on a rigorous education— an unconventional decision for the time, as women didn't often receive an education.