Margaret Hamilton turns 90; computer scientist who coined 'software engineer'
The Apollo Guidance Computer programmer is celebrated for her pioneering work in software engineering and her role in the Moon landing.
What to know
- Margaret Hamilton turned 90 on August 17, 2026, celebrated for coining the term 'software engineer' and leading Apollo Guidance Computer software development at MIT.
- Colleagues and current technologists credit Hamilton and her generation of women pioneers with making fundamental contributions that enabled modern computing and wireless technology.
- The occasion prompted reflection on the historical underrecognition of women's contributions to computing, with commenters noting both their erasure and lasting impact on today's tech workforce.
Hamilton and her generation deserve major credit for foundational computing work that enabled modern technology and deserve sustained recognition.
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“I use Margaret and the photo of the Apollo code stack in my class on gender in a Sino/American University in China - Happy Birthday Margaret”
trebornotrub.bsky.social · Bluesky ↗
Women's contributions to computing and science have been systematically overlooked and erased from history, despite their essential role.
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“So many women didn't get the credit they deserved for inventing the modern word. I wouldn't even be able to post this message wirelessly without their work.”
tienlung.bsky.social · Bluesky ↗
Women may have inherent advantages in software engineering due to linguistic abilities and focus on code readability and communication.
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“I may be a sexist man, but I've long suspected that women make better software engineers than men. That's because we're told that women are better at linguistics and the fact that code is read more times than it's written. Writing code so…”
jhughs.bsky.social · Bluesky ↗
Margaret Hamilton Computer scientist, Apollo software developer
The record 1 articles and posts · last 30 days
What people are saying 24 voices from 1 site · best of 96 · verbatim
- Aug 17
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I have the Women of NASA set too! They sit on an honored spot on the fire place mantle.
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I loved getting to work with her on a picture book about her and her daughter’s experiences on Apollo, and I still hope to publish it!
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Thank you. I haven't seen thay pictures of her with the stacked printouts in a long time. The pure delightful nerdiness of it is so endearing & always makes me smile. I'm also thankful to her. I appreciate the imortant work that huge stack represents.
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And we like Ada Lovelace, too Source: Encyclopedia Britannica
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She is truly an admirable woman! With 90 years of age she can still enjoy her professional achievements which are extraordinary. I wish her many more years with health and satisfaction.
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I am currently in NJ looking after my 94-year-old stepmother. She came to the US in 1957, and spent her entire working life as a computer programmer, running her own data-processing firm in Manhattan. I love it that women like her are finally being acknowledged.
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She and Grace Hopper are my heroes. I wouldn’t have had the career I had if they had not come before me.
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Well my mother was an award winning double PhD and former president of the Human Factors Society. She worked for an early think tank associated with Rand Corp, mostly DoD work in the 60s through the 2000s. Including early profiling for ICBM crews She coined the term Human Engineer Women are awesome
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One of my server is named "hamilton". All my servers are named after a female scientist. I have Rubin, Lovelace, Nightingale, etc... It's a good way to remember them, IMNSHO.
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Am I bothered about what she was wearing? I'm not more bothered about that than what a man was wearing. Irrelevant to what they were doing.
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I was a Software Engineer. I thought that sounded a lot better than being a Programmer.
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She did all pf that in addition to being in The Wizard Of Oz I couldn't resist that.
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So many women didn't get the credit they deserved for inventing the modern word. I wouldn't even be able to post this message wirelessly without their work.
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An amazing engineering accomplishment by a computer scientist flexing her intelligence in the 1960’s!
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happy birthday to Margaret Hamilton. pioneer, scientist and nasa engineer. thank you for all you have done for us.
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And I am sure the White House is busy erasing her contributions because she is a woman.
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She is the only human known/considered to have written large scale software code without bugs. That was for NASA's Apollo program and I think she hand wrote that code in her apartment while pregnant. A total badass.
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Herstory is the largest black hole in history. Men are the stars and women can only get supporting roles. We've been misled for centuries!
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I may be a sexist man, but I’ve long suspected that women make better software engineers than men. That’s because we’re told that women are better at linguistics and the fact that code is read more times than it’s written. Writing code so someone else can understand it is critical.
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J
Happy Birthday, Margaret. A true pioneer. #WomenInSTEM
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Happy 90th birthday to the brilliant pioneer Margaret Hamilton! 🚀✨ Thank you for inventing software engineering, writing the code that took humanity to the Moon, and inspiring generations of phenomenal women in STEM! 👩💻🌙🎉
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I worked with Ms. Hamilton on a project at MIT in the 90s. She was amazing! Her stories of how the Apollo software was TESTED was some of the most inspiring stories I have ever heard.
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I use Margaret and the photo of the Apollo code stack in my class on gender in a Sino/American University in China - Happy Birthday Margaret
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A
Computer scientist Margaret Hamilton coined the term “software engineer.” She directed the Software Engineering Division at MIT’s Instrumentation Lab & led development of the on-board flight software for NASA’s Apollo Guidance Computer. She was born #OTD in 1936 & turns 90 today! #WomenInSTEM