Once upon a time, there was a girl named Ada. She loved machines. Ada Byron was born in London

more than 200 years ago to parents who were polar opposites. Her father, Lord Byron, was a famous poet

known for doing some over-the-top and unusual things. He said to have

kept a tame bear as a pet in his college dorm room. Lady Byron, on the other hand, was a proper

gentle woman who had little patience for his antics. To make matters worse, Lord Byron drank

too much and was often unkind to his wife.

So when Ada was just five weeks old, her parents' short marriage ended.

And Ada would never see her father again.

Now, Lady Byron was a single mother, and her top priority was making sure Ada didn't grow up to be anything like her

father. She decided that there was just one cure for any eccentric tendencies Ada may have inherited.

Mathematics. Lady Byron hired tutors for Ada and planned a rigorous schedule of study.

She studied history, geography, and music.

But her mother was most concerned with her math and science lessons.

To her, these subjects were the opposite of poetry.

When Ada began studying mathematics,

she was fascinated by the curious ways formulas could be transformed.

She said she couldn't help but imagine them as magical fairies that changed shapes as they pleased.

Despite Lady Byron's best efforts, Ada had found poetry in numbers.

I'm Jody Cantor, and this is Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, a fairy tale podcast about the extraordinary women who inspire us.

This week, Ada Lovelace.

Ada's mother was often sick, and her doctors prescribed long trips to spa resorts,

serene places with fresh air where she could recover.

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