International Women's Day, celebrated on March 8th, is a date to celebrate, recognize and, above all, reflect on women's achievements throughout history. With this in mind, we, at the Codebit blog, created a special article to highlight the contribution of women in the history of technology and encourage female presence, as well as the valuation of diversity in this area.

After all, technology is also about people and acts as a powerful tool in propelling a more inclusive and representative universe.

In today's article, we mention some women who paved the way in the areas of science and technology and allowed other women, from other generations, to feel capable of continuing their contribution and maintaining such significant advances.
Find out who they are in the following topics:

5 women who helped build the history of technology

1. Ada Lovelace (1815-1852)

Ada Lovelace was one of the first programmers in history.
British, mathematician, and writer, she lived for only 36 years - enough to understand that computers could operate far beyond mathematical calculations.
Ada created the first algorithm used for an analytical engine - a calculator, and even without sufficient resources to test and prove the theses, her actions in the technological universe were definitive in providing the equipment that today ensures a computer performs several tasks at the same time.

Unfortunately, Lovelace did not see her work validated in her lifetime.

To honor her, the British Computer Society has an award that bears her name and highlights significant advances in information systems.

2. Mary Kenneth Keller (1913-1985)

Mary Kenneth was the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in Computer Science.

A nun, Mary entered the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth order in 1932 and began teaching math and physics in Catholic schools. In 1958, she earned a master's degree in mathematics from DePaul University in Chicago, and then moved to the University of Wisconsin-Madison to study computer science. She earned her Ph.D. in 1965 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

She was a pioneer in several areas of computing, such as programming languages, operating systems, computer architecture, and computer science education.

Among her most notable achievements are the authorship of four books that remain, to this day, as references in computing and programming, in addition to the dissemination of visionary ideas about computers and mentions of Artificial Intelligence - at a time when the concept was strictly limited to science fiction productions.

3. Grace Hopper (1906-1992)

Do you also call computer failures a "bug"? If so, thank Grace Hopper. The US Navy systems analyst "invented" the term when she opened her computer in an attempt to find the solution to the problems the machine was presenting and realized that inside of it there was nothing less than a dead bug.

But Hopper's contribution to technology goes far beyond that. She also developed the foundation for the Common Business Oriented Language, a solution that is still used today in commercial database processing.

To celebrate her achievements, since 1994, the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing conference has been held annually, praising female achievements in the computing world.

4. Carol Shaw (1955)

The first woman to work in the electronic game industry, Carol Shaw began to pioneer the gaming world back in the 70s, when she created classic games like "River Raid" and "3-D Tic-Tac-Toe" for the Atari 2600 console.

Years later, she joined the Activision team, where she created River Raid, a game that broke barriers and became one of the most popular of its time.

Unlike traditional shooting games of the time, which featured fixed screens, in River Raid, the plane moved vertically along a river to shoot opponents.

Shaw retired from the video game industry in 1990, but her legacy remains intact.

5. Hedy Lamarr (1914-2000)

If you can spend hours browsing on your smartphone with a Wi-Fi connection, you need to know that this is also a female achievement, attributed to Hedy Lamarr - Austrian, actress, and inventor.

To evade Nazi radar during World War II, Lamarr joined forces with inventor George Antheil and created a radio interference device.

Due to the lack of resources at the time, the US War Department deemed the implementation "too complex" - which caused Hedy's idea to be shelved.

In 1962 the devices were finally developed and made available for use by military troops in Cuba.

More than a decade later, in 1977, Hedy Lamarr was recognized for the invention and awarded by the Electronic Frontier Foundation for her contribution. The following year, the tool was used as the basis for the creation of Wi-Fi and CDMA (cellular phone) connections.

Did you notice how many women were present in important milestones in the history of technology?

We, at Codebit, take this opportunity to congratulate not only them, but all women, not just today, but every day of the year, highlighting the recognition they have achieved and opening doors for all others to come.

Congratulations, women! All other days are yours too!