Birth and Death
- Born in New York on December 9th, 1906
- Died in Arlington, Virginia on January 1st, 1992
Major Contributions
- Invented the first computer compiler
- Created COBOL, the first complex computer language
Major Academic Events
- Graduated from Vassar College in 1928, then proceeded to earn her master's degree from Yale
- Taught mathematics at Vassar while studying for her PhD, which she got at Yale in 1934
- Quit her job to join WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) when US entered WWII
- She initially got turned down by the Navy for being too small, but was given a waiver to program the Mark I at Harvard University, which performed intricate calculations used for the war
- While in the Navy, she was awarded The Defense Distinguished Service medal and Yale's Wilbur Lucius Cross medal
Fun Facts
- She had a backwards clock to remind her that nothing has to work one way
- At 79 years old, she was the oldest officer in the US armed forces
Famous Quotes
- "The most damaging phrase in the language is 'We've always done it this way.'"
- "People are allergic to change. You have to get out and sell the idea."
Learn More about Grace Hopper