Ada Lovelace Day 2026
Tuesday 13 October 2026 · the second Tuesday of October each year
Ada Lovelace Day is an international celebration of the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, held annually on the second Tuesday of October.
Also on 13 October: National No Bra Day · International Skeptics Day · Disaster Day
2026 Focus: Women in Medicine and Life Sciences
Ada Lovelace Day 2026 is Tuesday 13 October 2026. It falls on the second Tuesday of October each year.
Ada Lovelace Day is an international celebration of the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, held annually on the second Tuesday of October. In 2026 it falls on Tuesday, 13 October. The day takes its name from Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace, the nineteenth-century mathematician widely regarded as the world’s first computer programmer.
While the theme for Ada Lovelace Day changes informally each year through the events and stories participants choose to share, the 2026 cycle has been shaped by the University of Edinburgh’s 300 Years of Medicine celebrations and a broader spotlight on women’s contributions to medicine and the life sciences. The official Ada Lovelace Day Live event in October 2026 will feature speakers working across biomedical research, clinical science, and healthcare technology – reflecting how the original computing vision Ada Lovelace articulated now underpins everything from AI diagnostics to genomic sequencing.
The Story Behind Ada Lovelace Day
The day was founded in 2009 by the British technologist and writer Suw Charman-Anderson. Frustrated by the lack of visible female role models in science and technology, and by research suggesting that women’s contributions were routinely overlooked, she launched a grassroots campaign to give women in STEM the recognition they deserved. The first Ada Lovelace Day asked people to write a blog post about a woman in technology or science whom they admired, and thousands responded.
The choice of Ada Lovelace as a figurehead was deliberate. Born in London on 10 December 1815, she was the only legitimate child of the poet Lord Byron and the reformer Anne Isabella Milbanke. Her mother, anxious that she should not inherit her father’s volatile temperament, steered her towards mathematics and logic from an early age. That unusual education for a woman of her era set the stage for one of the most remarkable intellectual partnerships of the Victorian age.
In 1833, at the age of seventeen, Lovelace met the mathematician and inventor Charles Babbage, who was then developing his designs for mechanical calculating machines. She became fascinated by his proposed Analytical Engine, a general-purpose computing device far ahead of its time. Between 1842 and 1843 she translated an article on the engine written by the Italian engineer Luigi Menabrea, and to it she added a series of seven explanatory notes, labelled A to G, that ran to roughly three times the length of the original text.
It is within these notes that her genius shines. Note G contains a detailed method for using the Analytical Engine to calculate Bernoulli numbers, a sequence that computer historians widely regard as the first algorithm designed to be carried out by a machine. More strikingly, Lovelace grasped something Babbage himself had not fully articulated: that such a machine could manipulate not only numbers but any symbols, including musical notes and letters. She foresaw, more than a century before the modern computer, that computing could extend far beyond mere arithmetic. She died young, on 27 November 1852, at the age of just thirty-six, but the vision contained in her notes secured her lasting place in the history of computing.
When is Ada Lovelace Day?
Ada Lovelace Day is held on the second Tuesday of October each year, which means the date moves annually. In 2026 it lands on Tuesday, 13 October. Although it began in the United Kingdom, it is now marked internationally, with events held across Europe, North America, Australia and beyond.
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Tuesday 13 October 2026 |
| 2027 | Tuesday 12 October 2027 |
| 2028 | Tuesday 10 October 2028 |
| 2029 | Tuesday 9 October 2029 |
Plan around Ada Lovelace Day and every key date in October
The Awareness Days Toolkit puts every awareness day for 2026 and 2027 in a spreadsheet, printable PDF calendars and an iCal feed that keeps itself up to date.
Traditions and Customs
- Sharing stories of women in STEM – The founding tradition remains central. People publish articles, blog posts and social media tributes about women in science and technology whose work has inspired them, helping to make hidden figures visible.
- Ada Lovelace Day Live – A flagship evening showcase of talks and demonstrations by women working across the sciences, presented in an accessible and entertaining format for a general audience.
- School and university events – Educational institutions run workshops, talks and hands-on activities designed to encourage girls and young women to consider STEM subjects and careers.
- Wikipedia edit-a-thons – Volunteers gather to create and improve Wikipedia entries for women scientists and engineers, addressing the persistent gender imbalance in the encyclopaedia’s coverage.
- Workplace celebrations – Technology companies and research organisations host panels, networking sessions and mentoring events to champion their female staff and examine progress on inclusion.
Ways to Celebrate
- Write about a woman who inspires you – Publish a short piece about a female scientist, engineer or mathematician, living or historical, and share it online. Use the hashtag #AdaLovelaceDay to join the conversation.
- Read Ada Lovelace’s notes – Explore her translation of Menabrea’s paper and the famous Note G to appreciate just how far ahead of her time she was.
- Attend or host an event – Look for talks, panels or edit-a-thons in your area or online through the Finding Ada events listing, or organise one within your school, workplace or community group.
- Mentor or encourage a young person – Offer guidance to a girl or young woman curious about STEM, whether through a formal scheme such as STEM Ambassadors or an informal conversation.
- Improve the record – Join a Wikipedia edit-a-thon or contribute to projects that document the work of underrepresented scientists and engineers.
Facts and Figures
- Ada Lovelace was born on 10 December 1815 and died on 27 November 1852, aged just 36.
- Her method for calculating Bernoulli numbers, published in 1843, is widely considered the first computer algorithm.
- Suw Charman-Anderson founded Ada Lovelace Day in 2009, beginning as a call for people to blog about women in technology.
- Women made up around 28 per cent of the global STEM workforce in 2024, despite comprising close to half of the workforce overall.
- Women earn just over a fifth of degrees in computer and information sciences in the UK, according to HESA data.
Related Awareness Days
- International Women in Engineering Day – A global celebration of women engineers held in June.
- National Woman Astronomers Day – Honours women who have advanced our understanding of the universe.
- International Day of the Girl Child – 11 October, championing the rights and potential of girls everywhere.
- All October awareness days
Last reviewed: 2026-09-19. Added 2026 focus on women in medicine and life sciences, standardised dates table, removed generic filler sections; restructured to current editorial spec.
Frequently asked questions
What is Ada Lovelace Day?
Ada Lovelace Day is an annual international celebration of the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It aims to raise the profile of women in STEM and to create new role models for girls and young women.
When is Ada Lovelace Day in 2026?
Ada Lovelace Day falls on Tuesday, 13 October 2026. It is always held on the second Tuesday of October, so the exact date changes from year to year.
Why is the day named after Ada Lovelace?
It is named in honour of Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace, the nineteenth-century mathematician who wrote what is regarded as the first computer algorithm. She was chosen as a symbol of women’s long but often overlooked contribution to science and technology.
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