Mothers of Invention
Mothers of Invention: These pioneering women in technology have saved the world from war, climate change, and boredom online with their contributions to modern inventions.
Ada Lovelace
date: December 12, 2011
category: Technology
clue: The world's first computer programmer might only have been remembered for her poet father if she hadn't been inspired by Charles Babbage.
explanation: Lovelace was the daughter of Lord Byron and a colleague of Charles Babbage who created the first computer algorithm. more…
solved by: Steve West, Russ Wilhelm, Denise Sawicki, Steve Dunn, Justin Woods, Joanna Woods, Mike Rothstein, Samir Mehta, Richard Slominsky, Chris Lemler, LaVonne Lemler, Ryan Dunn, and Erik Bates
Hedy Lamarr
date: December 13, 2011
category: Movies
clue: Although her film career sank after White Cargo and Samson & Delilah, she helped the U.S. Navy program superior torpedoes.
explanation: Lamarr was a film star who developed a method for changing wireless frequencies that was eventually adopted by the Navy. more…
solved by: Steve West, Russ Wilhelm, Denise Sawicki, Steve Dunn, Justin Woods, Joanna Woods, Mike Rothstein, Samir Mehta, Richard Slominsky, Chris Lemler, LaVonne Lemler, Ryan Dunn, and Erik Bates
Caterina Fake
date: December 14, 2011
category: Internet
clue: Your only flicker of hope with this goo may be to guess on a hunch.
explanation: Fake co-founded the web services Flickr and Hunch. more…
solved by: Steve West, Russ Wilhelm, Denise Sawicki, Steve Dunn, Justin Woods, Joanna Woods, Mike Rothstein, Samir Mehta, Richard Slominsky, Chris Lemler, LaVonne Lemler, Ryan Dunn, and Erik Bates
Grace Hopper
date: December 15, 2011
category: Military
clue: Somebody had to help the Navy work out the bugs in COBOL, and this officer was up to the task.
explanation: Hopper was an influential computer scientist for the U.S. Navy, who developed machine-independent programming languages like COBOL, and coined the term "debugging." more…
solved by: Steve West, Russ Wilhelm, Denise Sawicki, Steve Dunn, Justin Woods, Joanna Woods, Mike Rothstein, Samir Mehta, Richard Slominsky, Chris Lemler, LaVonne Lemler, Ryan Dunn, and Erik Bates
Julia King
date: December 16, 2011
category: Education
clue: This British scholar has taught students about engineering and politicians about climate change. (Who's the king?)
explanation: King was an educator who received several government appointments. more…
solved by: Steve West, Russ Wilhelm, Denise Sawicki, Steve Dunn, Justin Woods, Joanna Woods, Mike Rothstein, Samir Mehta, Richard Slominsky, Chris Lemler, LaVonne Lemler, and Erik Bates
