Grace Hopper
Awards & Honours
3
Awards Won
5
Honours
2
Rankings
2
Covers
4
Records
Grace Hopper's achievements are extraordinary. She invented the first compiler, a concept that underpins all modern programming. She co-created COBOL, a language that transformed business computing. As a Navy rear admiral, she was the oldest active-duty officer at retirement. She received the National Medal of Technology and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Her name graces a Navy destroyer, a supercomputer, and an Nvidia GPU architecture. The Grace Hopper Celebration is the world's largest gathering of women technologists. She earned 40 honorary degrees and is universally recognized as the "Mother of Computer Science."
Awards
Honours & Distinctions
USS Hopper (DDG-70)
Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer named in her honor.
Cray XE6 'Hopper' Supercomputer
Supercomputer at National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center.
Nvidia Hopper GPU Architecture
GPU architecture for AI and high-performance computing.
Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing
Annual conference named after her, the largest gathering of women technologists.
National Women's Hall of Fame
Posthumous induction.
Rankings & Lists
TIME 100 Most Influential People in Computing
Greatest of All Time in Technology
Magazine Covers
TIME for Kids
August 17, 2020
This is Grace: Read the Story of Grace Hopper
60 Minutes (TV feature)
March 6, 1983
Oldest woman serving in U.S. Armed Forces
Records & Feats
First to devise theory of machine-independent programming languages
Hopper's work led to the creation of COBOL and other high-level languages.
Invented the first compiler (A-0 System)
Translated English terms into machine code, revolutionizing programming.
Oldest active-duty commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy
Retired at age 79, the oldest of any gender at the time.
First individual woman to receive National Medal of Technology
Awarded in 1991 for her pioneering contributions.