5 of The Most Influential Women in Tech History

Women in Tech History

A force to be reckoned with, women have had an influence on technology throughout history. Today, in honor of International Women’s Day, we wanted to give you a brief look into history at some of the women who have impacted the internet that you use today. These women have shed past boundaries and have found ways to progress in everything they did. Today we solute these women and thank them for the contributions they have made to our technology landscape.

#1. Mary Kenneth Keller (1913-1985)

American Roman Catholic nun, Mary Kenneth Keller is best known as the first female to earn a Ph.D. in Computer Science, breaking the “male-only” stereotype of this industry. During her time working at Dartmouth College computer science center, which was male-only at the time, Keller was an important individual in helping to develop a computer program called ‘BASIC’. Keller is a role model for all women in the computer technology industry, and is an important female in history who enabled and empowered more women to challenge the male-dominated field.

#2. Mary Jackson (1921-2005), Dorothy Vaughn (1910 – 2008) & Katherine Johnson (1918 –)

The recent release of the film titled Hidden Figures highlights three of the important “human computers” behind NASA in the mid-1900s. The untold story of these three African-American geniuses is brought to light through this film, as it is so important to recognize the impact these women had not only on the powerful NASA technology system, but also on society as a whole post-WWII. Jackson, Vaughn, and Johnson can be seen as some of the most important mathematicians in the advancement of the technology that allowed astronauts to orbit outer space, and they’re all female!

#3. Padmasree Warrior

Having been deservingly recognized for the last several years now as a leader in technology, Padmasree Warrior is the former Chief Technology & Strategy Officer of Cisco Systems. According to a recent article in ELLE Magazine, Warrior is one of the principal reasons that Cisco is ahead of the game when it comes to the world of Cloud Computing. In an industry that has been predominately driven by men since its existence, it is reassuring to see a woman at the top of one of the world’s largest technology software companies.

#4. Susan Kare

This is definitely a woman who rename.should not go unnoticed – female artist, Susan Kare, created the universally known Apple Logo.  After her brief time at Microsoft, Kare switched over to her former enemy, Apple. Following her goal to pursue a profession as an artist in California, Kare landed a job at Apple and has been a very significant influencer in the appearance, fonts, styles, designs, etc., that the company still uses today.

#5. Anita Borg

American Computer Scientist Anita Borg was a passionate advocate for the advancement of Women in Technology. After developing operating systems and digital computing operations, Borg founded multiple tech organizations including the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing. While alive and even after her death in 2003, Borg was able to inspire the lives of many women in computing technology, as rename.she was and still is a leader in the activism of women in the growing world of technology.

Happy International Women’s day to all.