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Grace Hopper

  • Date of Birth

    Grace Brewster was born on December 9th, 1906. As a child, Grace was very interested in technology.
  • Date of Brith

    Grace Brewster Murray was born on December 9th, 1906 in New York City. As a child, Grace was always extremely interested in technology
  • Vassar College

    Grace graduated with a Bachelor Degree in mathematics and physics.
  • Vassar College

    Hopper earned her Bachelor's Degree in mathematics and physics.
  • Yale University

    In 1930, Grace earned her master's degree at Yale University. She then furthered her education and earned her PhD in mathematics in 1934. Collaboratively, she and her colleague Øystein Ore (another mathematician) published "New Types of Irreducibility Criteria"
  • Teaching Career

    She began teaching mathematics at Vassar College
  • Teaching Career

    Hopper returns to Vassar College and begins teaching mathematics.
  • Yale University

    Hopper earned her master's degree in 1928. In 1934, she earned her PhD in mathematics. "New Types of Irreducibility Criteria" was published by Øystein Ore (another mathematician) and Hopper.
  • United States Navy

    Hopper leaves Vassar and enlists in the United States Navy.
  • World War II

    During World War II, Hopper enlists into the Navy and is sworn in. She served on a computer programming team run by Howard H. Aiken; together, they published Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator which helped build the first computer in the United States. She also solved the equation to make the atomic bomb function at Harvard
  • Mark I

    She was assigned to Harvard University as a lieutenant where she worked as a programmer with Howard H. Aiken to perfect he Mark I computer. Mark I was the first computer in the United States. They made the atomic bomb function correctly. Together, they wrote the Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator.
  • "Debugger"

    Grace Hopper's team created the word "debugging" meaning a way to fix a computer. They came up with this word when they pulled a dead moth out of a computer.
  • UNIVAC I

    UNIVersal Automatic Computer I or UNIVAC I was the first digital computer produced for the public and commercial use. This computer only understood code, not English words.
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    A-0 system

    The A-0 system aka Arithmetic Language Version 0 was developed by Hopper. This was the first complier that would be used for an electronic computer
  • MATH-MATIC & FLOW-MATIC

    MATH-MATIC was an early calculator. It's platform was the UNIVAC I and II. FLOW-MATIC was a business code using UNIVAC I.
  • COBOL

    She also helped create the primary programming language for business applications known as COBOL. COBOL stands for Common Business-Oriented Language. This was an updated version of the FLOW-MATIC. This was the closest to the English language in computers.
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    Retirement and Return

    Grace Hopper retires at 60 years old as a commander. One year later, she returns back to the Navy. In 1971, she retires again and then again decides to return back to the Navy. In 1973, she is promoted to Captain
  • Commodore

    Hopper is appointed Commodore after her two retirements and continuous dedication to the Navy.
  • Final Retirement

    At age 79, Grace Hopper makes her final retirement from the Navy with a Rear Admiral Rank.
  • Death

    Grace Hopper passes away at age 85 in Arlington, Virginia. She was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.