Grace Hopper
1906–1992 — USA
Era: Modern
Brilliance: 8/10 | Stewardship: 8/10 | Composite Index: 64
She found the first actual computer bug. Also invented the compiler.
"The most dangerous phrase in the language is, 'We've always done it this way.'"
Biography
Grace Hopper was a pioneering computer scientist and U.S. Navy rear admiral who revolutionized programming by inventing the first compiler, enabling computers to understand humanreadable code. She discovered the first actual computer bug in 1947 and championed the development of COBOL, a programming language that became foundational to business computing for decades. Her visionary work transformed computers from specialized machines into accessible tools for solving complex problems.
Key Facts
- Found the first computer bug—literally a moth—trapped in the Harvard Mark II computer in 1947
- Invented the first compiler, proving that computers could translate human language into machine code
- Developed COBOL (Common Business-Oriented Language), which dominated business programming for 40+ years
- Reached the rank of Rear Admiral in the U.S. Navy Reserve, one of the first women to achieve this
- Coined the term 'debugging' and popularized the concept of treating program errors systematically
She found the first bug. Then she invented the solution.
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