- "To use and apply the language of science, we must fully appreciate, feel, seize the unseen."
Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace (10 December 1815 – 27 November 1852), commonly known as Ada Lovelace, was an English mathematician, best known for her work on Charles Babbage's proposed computer, the Analytical Engine. She published what is considered to be the first computer program in history, and was also the first to recognize the machine's potential to performs tasks beyond calculation. She is a leader in Civilization VII.
She is available with the Ada Lovelace Pack within the Crossroads of the World Collection.
Intro[]
From childhood, Ada Lovelace inspected the world through a scientist’s eyes. Forging a path between intellectualism and imagination, she applied her mathematical mind to the 19th century’s most cutting-edge experiments. Working with mechanical computers, which made calculations using gears and punch cards, she designed the first computer program, establishing the field of computing over a century before technology caught up to her vision.
In-Game[]
Ada Lovelace has the 
Cultural and 
Scientific attributes. Her default colors are pink and white.
Her leader ability is Enchantress of Numbers. It grants +2 
Science per Age in Cities after completing a Civic Mastery (though this extra Science resets at the start of each Age), and 
Culture equal to 50% of her total Science per turn after completing a Technology Mastery.
Her agenda is Analytical Engine. Her relationship increases by a Small Amount for the leader with the most Masteries, and decreases by a Small Amount for the leader with the fewest.
Strategy[]
|
Share your wisdom!
How do you use Ada Lovelace? |
Lines[]
Ada Lovelace is voiced by Ellie Kendrick. She speaks British English with Received Pronunciation.
Voiced[]
| Line | Quote | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Quote | To use and apply the language of science, we must fully appreciate, feel, seize the unseen. | Quote attributed to Ada Lovelace emphasizing the importance of intuition and imagination in scientific discovery, beyond simply understanding the facts |
| Greeting | Ada - a pleasure. Tell me, what are your thoughts on calculus? | |
| Attacked | You have lost your mind, and your head will soon follow. | |
| Declares War | The life-blood of this universe is not yours to drain. Begone, scoundrel! | |
| Accepts Player's Deal | Your insight into this matter is most remarkable. | |
| Rejects Player's Deal | Your variable has no place in my equations. | |
| Defeat | In my fading footsteps, may mankind find a little of that brightness from Beyond. |
Leader Path[]
| Level | Unlocks |
|---|---|
| 2 |  Punch Cards |
| 3 | Cultural Attribute Node
|
| 4 | Exploration Scientific Legacy Card |
| Exploration Cultural Legacy Card | |
| 5 |  Piano |
| 6 | Ada Lovelace Badge 1
|
Ada Lovelace Banner
| |
| 7 | Scientific Attribute Node
|
| 8 | Modern Scientific Legacy Card |
| Modern Cultural Legacy Card | |
| 9 |  Note G
|
| 10 | Ada Lovelace Badge 2
|
Enchantress of Numbers
|
Civilopedia entry[]
Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace, (1815-1852) was born into a family of contrasts. She was the only legitimate child of the Romantic poet Lord Byron, who left England shortly after her birth and never saw her again. His dramatic, chaotic, and excessively creative persona was countered by that of his wife, Lady Byron, who was also an intellectual, but more inclined towards mathematics and the sciences. While he was wild and impulsive, she was rigid, strict, deeply religious, and heavily involved in education reform and abolitionism.
Ada was raised primarily by her maternal grandmother. Although her mother was not often present, she kept a sharp eye on her daughter and encouraged her interest in math and science – she feared that if Ada indulged in creativity like her father, she would follow in his destructive footsteps. Ada did share her mother’s academic nature, but she also inherited her father’s imagination. In one story often told about her childhood, Ada became fascinated with birds and determined to learn how to fly, a project that combined creative thinking with rigorous research on how wings work and what materials were best suited for human operation.
Thanks to her mother’s investment in her education, Ada was tutored by several prominent scholars of the day, including mathematician Augustus De Morgan and astronomer Mary Somerville. When Ada was 18, Somerville introduced her to Charles Babbage, whose work as an engineer and inventor led him to create the Difference Engine, now considered to be the first mechanical computer. She was immediately captivated by his invention and began to work closely with him. Between 1842 and 1843, she translated an article by Luigi Menabrea from Italian into English that examined Babbage’s next creation, the Analytical Engine. This machine was designed to solve mathematical problems fed through punch cards, but it was never fully built due to funding issues.
In her translation of Menabrea’s article, Ada included copious notes about the nature of the Analytical Engine and the possibilities its mechanics held. In particular, she speculated that the mathematical variables it processed could be treated as substitutes for more abstract concepts. The culmination of her additions is Note G, which presented a theoretical algorithm often considered to be the first computer program. Her contributions far outweighed both the length and insights of the original article, demonstrating not only her thorough understanding of how the machine worked, but also the breadth of her vision regarding what it could accomplish.
In 1835, at the age of 20, she married William, 8th Baron King, and they had three children. Along with mathematics, she maintained a strong interest in religion, mesmerism, and music, and kept herself up to date with the most recent scientific breakthroughs. She died of cancer at age 36.
Trivia[]
- Ada Lovelace's leader ability is an epithet given to her by her longtime collaborator and correspondent Charles Babbage, while her leader agenda is named after Babbage's proposed computer.
Gallery[]
.jpg "Ada Lovelace promo card (Civ7).jpg (1.49 MB)")
Videos[]
First Look- Ada Lovelace - Civilization VII
First Look: Ada Lovelace
See also[]
- Ada Lovelace in other games