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Beginning
Grace Murray was born in New York City.
She was the oldest child out of the three kids.
Link below overviews her life.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fg82iV-L8ZY -
Early life
Grace was very wise at a young age and extremely smart.
At only age seven she determined how an alarm clock worked. -
College
She attended Vassar College and studied math and physics. -
Graduation from Vassar moves to Yale
She graduated from Vassar College. Then she moved on to study for a Master's degree in Mathematics at the prestigious Yale University. -
Working extremely hard
Hopper began teaching at Vassar College while studying at Yale trying to get PH.D. in mathematics. -
Marriage
In 1931 she married Vincent Foster Hopper. -
Graduation from Yale
Graduation from Yale with her PH.D. in mathematics one of the first few woman to earn such a degree -
Joining the Navy in World War Two
She initially joined the U.S. Naval Reserve, but then she decided to join the Navy because her grandfather had been in that branch of service. -
Promotion one year later
She was appointed as a lieutenant in June 1944, since she had a mathematical background, Hopper was assigned to join the Bureau of Ordinance Computation Project at Harvard University. At Harvard University she learned to program a Mark I computer. -
Divorce
She divorced her husband Vincent Foster Hopper and decided to keep Hopper as her last name. -
Career in Computing
After the war concluded, Hopper remained with the Navy as a reserve officer. She began working with the Mark II and Mark III computers. She helped popularize term we think of today as "computer bug."
Link going over computer bug origin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQS0hDqpVLE -
Continued work with Computers
Hopper moved into private industry in a couple of years later. First with the Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation. Then with Remington Rand where she supervised programming for the UNIVAC computer. In 1952, Hopper's unit created the first compiler for computer language. This compiler was for the Common Business Oriented Language which is now an adapted language that would be used around the world. -
Return to the Navy
Hopper initially retired from the Naval Reserve, but she was recalled to active duty at the age of 60 in 1967. She would remain with the Navy for the next 19 years. Finally she retired in 1986 at age 79. -
Death
Hopper passed away on New Year's Day in 1992. -
Award by past president Barack Obama
In 2016 a post-obituary honored Hopper with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.
