Ada Lovelace was an English mathematician and writer who is widely considered to be the first computer programmer. She was born in 1815 and is known for her work on Charles Babbage's proposed mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine. Her notes on the engine include what is recognized as the first algorithm intended to be processed by a machine. Lovelace is also credited with being the first to recognize the full potential of a 'computing machine' and to have published the first algorithm intended to be carried out by such a machine.