Short History Of...

Ada Lovelace

2026-11-02

Ada Lovelace, the daughter of the notorious poet Lord Byron, did not follow in her father’s literary footsteps. Instead, she is remembered today as a trailblazer for women in science. At a time when women's access to education was limited, she was able to use her wealth and title to connect with the greatest scientific minds of her day. But as well as possessing an impressive intellect, Ada Lovelace lived an unusual life, experiencing her fair share of scandal, heartbreak and near ruin.



So how did the circumstances of her parentage and upbringing shape her character? How was she able to pursue her scientific ambitions, despite society’s constraints? And how did her fascination with mathematics lead her to financial disaster?



This is a Short History Of Ada Lovelace.



A Noiser podcast production. Hosted by John Hopkins. With thanks to Dr Corin Throsby, a writer, broadcaster, and expert in Romantic literature who teaches at the University of Cambridge.



Written by Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow | Produced by Kate Simants | Production Assistant: Chris McDonald | Exec produced by Katrina Hughes | Sound supervisor: Matt Peaty | Sound design by George Tapp | Assembly edit by Dorry Macaulay | Compositions by Oliver Baines, Dorry Macaulay, Tom Pink | Mix & mastering: Cody Reynolds-Shaw | Fact Check: Sean Coleman



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No. of episodes

290

Latest episode

2026-11-02

Where can you listen?

History is full of the extraordinary.Each week, we'll transport you back in time to witness history's most incredible moments and remarkable people.New episodes Mondays, or a week early for Noiser+ subscribers.With Noiser+ you'll also get ad-free listening and exclusive content on shows across the Noiser podcast network. Click the subscription banner at the top of the feed to get started or head to noiser.com/subscriptions⁠A Short History of Ancient Rome⁠ - the debut book from the Noiser Network is out now! Discover the epic rise and fall of Rome like never before. Pick up your copy now at your local bookstore or visit ⁠⁠noiser.com/books⁠⁠ to learn more.For advertising enquiries, email [email protected] part of this podcast may be used or reproduced in any manner for the purpose of training artificial intelligence technologies or systems. In accordance with Article 4(3) of the DSM Directive 2019/790, Noiser Ltd expressly reserves this work from the text and data mining exception.