All about Grace Hopper

Last term’s computing hero was Grace Hopper.

In this article, I will tell you all about who Grace Hopper was and why we should all know who she is.

Grace Hopper worked with a team at Harvard to create one of the first digital computer, Mark 1.

Grace Hopper invented the first compiler called A-0. A compiler turns information which a programmer types in into the form of 1s and 0s (binary) which a computer can understand. This means that programs are easier to write. Also they can be moved from one computer and then used on another.

At first, no-one believed that this was possible. Hopper knew that programs could do more than just maths! Her compiler was a game changer.

Thanks to Grace Hopper we have computer programs today!

Fun Facts:

• As a child, Grace Hopper took apart a clock to find out how it worked.  When, she couldn’t put it back together again she took apart lots more clocks!
• Grace Hopper waited to join the navy. She was rejected because she was too small but she found a way to join and helped them in her own way. Now a ship the USS Hopper is named after her.

I’m looking forward to finding out who this term’s Computing Hero is!