The Woman Who Inspired The Hopper's Name
Grace Hopper—She Developed a New Computer Language
Setting the scene: It’s 1928. Grace Hopper graduates from Vassar with a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and physics. She’s determined to learn more—it’s been this way since she was a little girl. She plans to get her masters and Ph.D. from Yale and she is certain she can do it. This is just the beginning of Miss Grace Hopper.
Writing her legacy: At a young age she showed promising and frankly ultra-impressive initiative. She was determined to serve her country in a huge way and joined the United States Navy Reserve. Her insane smarts landed her a role on the Bureau of Ships Computation Project where she eventually suggested the use of a new programming language using English in place of symbols. Naturally, people were hesitant but were curious. This was the beginning of the computer language “COBOL”. Hopper went on to serve in the military and built important systems for 43 years and retired with the rank of Rear Admiral and decorated with countless awards (excuse us while we pick up our jaw from the floor). Even after her retirement, she worked as a consultant to Digital Equipment Corporation aiding on committees, lecturing, and visiting engineering facilities. Her success in a male dominated field deserves a standing ovation. You go Grace!
Fun fact: she coined the term “debugging” in reference to fixing an issue within a computer when she found an actual moth within the system.
