When we think of tech pioneers, names like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Elon Musk often come to mind. But long before smartphones, social media, and AI-driven algorithms, women were laying the foundations of modern technology.
Despite their groundbreaking innovations, many of these women remained in the shadows, their contributions often dismissed or claimed by others. In honor of Women’s History Month, let’s bring their stories into the spotlight—because without their ingenuity, technology as we know it wouldn’t exist.
The First Computer Program (Ada Lovelace, 1840s)
We'll start with one of the best known female tech innovators - Ada Lovelace. In the early 19th century, long before the first computers were ever built, Lovelace envisioned something extraordinary: a machine that could be programmed to perform complex tasks. While working with inventor Charles Babbage on his proposed Analytical Engine, she saw potential that even he had overlooked.
Lovelace wrote what is now recognized as the first computer algorithm, a detailed sequence of instructions meant to be executed by the machine. She realized that computers could be more than just calculators—they could manipulate symbols and even create art or music. This concept, revolutionary for its time, laid the foundation for modern software development. Without Lovelace’s vision, computers might have remained nothing more than glorified calculators, rather than the multifunctional tools we use today.
The Foundation of WiFi, Bluetooth & GPS (Hedy Lamarr, 1940s)
Hedy Lamarr was known to the world as a glamorous Hollywood actress, but behind the scenes, she was an inventor whose work laid the foundation for modern wireless communication.
During World War II, Lamarr and co-inventor George Antheil developed a revolutionary method of frequency hopping, which allowed radio signals to switch between different frequencies to avoid being intercepted. Originally intended to help the U.S. Navy protect torpedoes from enemy jamming, the concept later evolved into spread-spectrum technology, which powers WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS today.
Though her invention was ignored by the military at the time, decades later, engineers revisited her work and found it to be a game-changer. Without Lamarr’s innovation, the wireless world we depend on today, from smartphones to satellite communications, might not exist.
The Protocol That Made the Internet Possible (Radia Perlman, 1980s)
As the internet was taking shape, one of its biggest technical challenges was network congestion and instability. Without a way to regulate data flow, early networks would frequently crash. Enter, a computer scientist who solved this problem by creating Spanning Tree Protocol (STP).
STP allowed data to move smoothly and securely across networks without causing loops or system failures. This innovation became the foundation of modern networking, making large-scale, interconnected systems possible.
Though many refer to Tim Berners-Lee as the father of the internet, Perlman’s work is what made it stable and scalable. Without her protocol, the internet as we know it simply wouldn’t function.
The First Compiler That Made Modern Programming Possible (Grace Hopper, 1950s-1980s)
Before programmers could write in modern languages like Python, Java, or C++, they had to use complex machine code: long strings of binary numbers that were difficult to read and understand. That changed thanks to Grace Hopper, a Navy rear admiral and computer scientist, who developed the first-ever compiler, a program that translated human-readable instructions into machine code.
Hopper’s work revolutionized programming, making it accessible to more people and paving the way for modern programming languages. She also played a major role in creating COBOL, one of the first high-level programming languages, which is still used in government and business systems today. The history of COBOL is definitely worth a read if you're willing to get nerdy.
Her vision was simple: computers should be as easy to use as possible. Her innovations transformed coding from an esoteric science into something that millions of developers do every day.
The Data That Shaped GPS (Dr. Gladys West, 1970s-1980s)
If you’ve ever used Google Maps, Waze, or any GPS system, you’ve benefited from the work of Dr. Gladys West, a mathematician who helped develop satellite geolocation technology.
West’s research focused on geodesy, the science of measuring the Earth’s shape. By analyzing satellite data, she helped create a mathematical model of the planet’s surface, which was crucial in making GPS systems more accurate.
Today, GPS technology is used for everything from navigation to disaster response, proving that her contributions continue to guide the world, literally.
The Invention of Computer Storage (Barbara Liskov, 1970s-Present)
Computer storage today is often taken for granted, but Barbara Liskov’s work on data abstraction helped make modern computing possible.
In the 1970s, Liskov developed the Liskov Substitution Principle, which became a key part of object-oriented programming. She also pioneered data abstraction, an approach that allows software developers to organize and store data efficiently - a fundamental principle that still underpins modern computing today.
Without Liskov’s contributions, today’s databases, cloud storage, and even smartphone apps wouldn’t function as efficiently as they do.
Women’s Contributions to Tech Are Everywhere
From early computer programming to the AI revolution, women have helped shape the modern digital world. Yet, their contributions are often overlooked in history books.
It’s time we recognize and celebrate the women who paved the way for the technology we depend on today.
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