computers

52 AI Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 29: Cousins

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I’ve combined Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 ancestors in 52 weeks challenge, and Steve Little’s The 2025 AI Genealogy Do-Over, to create a unique 52 AI ancestors in 52 weeks party!

52 AI Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 29: Cousins

Grace Hopper: The Admiral Who Debugged the Future

Introduction

Every once in a while, someone comes along who changes the course of technology – not with a bang, but with a well-placed line of code and a sense of humor. Grace MURRAY HOPPER (1906-1992), a Rear Admiral in the U.S. Navy and one of the earliest computer programmers, didn’t just break barriers – she moved them. She also once carried around pieces of wire to teach people about nanoseconds. You know… as one does.

She’s also my sixth cousin once removed.

Who Was Grace Hopper?

Born in 1906, Grace Hopper was the kind of child who took apart alarm clocks to understand how they worked. As an adult, she brought that same curiosity to computing – only now she was dissecting early computers and writing code that would shape generations.

While many of us are mystified by how our phones magically order groceries or suggest suspiciously perfect ads, Hopper was building the foundation for all that. She was one of the first to argue that computers should “speak English” rather than requiring users to speak in ones and zeroes. (Honestly, she had a point.)

What Made Her So Memorable?

Here are a few things about Grace Hopper that might surprise – and inspire – you:

  • She created the first compiler in 1952. That means she figured out how to tell computers what to do in a more natural language – and taught them how to translate that into machine instructions.
  • She helped develop COBOL, a language still running the back end of banks, government agencies, and airports around the world. Not bad for something she helped write over 60 years ago. [Back in the day, I programmed in COBOL myself.]
  • She’s credited with coining the term “computer bug.” After finding an actual moth stuck inside a computer relay, she taped it into her notebook with the note: “First actual case of bug being found.”
  • She was told she was too old and too small to join the Navy during WWII. She joined anyway – because when has “no” ever stopped a determined woman?
  • She didn’t retire until age 79. And she did it with flair. She retired as the oldest active-duty commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy.
  • She taught with props. Her famous nanosecond wire demonstration helped people visualize how fast computers operate. It’s still used in classrooms today.
  • The icing on the cake: Her hobby was genealogy.
"If it's a good idea, go ahead and do it. It is much easier to apologize than it is to get permission." - Grace Hopper

Challenge for Readers

Want to understand Hopper’s genius with your own hands? Try this:

  1. Measure a nanosecond. Cut a piece of string about 11.8 inches long. That’s how far light travels in one nanosecond. Now imagine your computer doing millions of things in that time.
  2. Write a plain-language “program.” Pretend you’re telling a computer how to make a peanut butter sandwich. Sounds easy? Give your instructions to someone else and see if it works without guesswork. That’s what Hopper was solving: making computers understand clear, human instructions.

What Can We Learn from Her?

Hopper wasn’t just smart – she was practical. She believed in making things simpler, not fancier. She valued curiosity over credentials, and patience over prestige.

As genealogists and digital explorers, there’s something deeply familiar about that mindset. We spend hours untangling family trees and wrestling with clunky software. Hopper reminds us that tech doesn’t have to be mysterious – it just needs the right instructions and a little stubbornness.

But what about that cousin business?

Grace Brewster Murray was born in New York City, as per her Wikipedia entry. She was the eldest of three children. Her parents, Walter Fletcher Murray and Mary Campbell Van Horne, were of Scottish and Dutch descent, and attended West End Collegiate Church. Her great-grandfather, Alexander Wilson Russell, an admiral in the US Navy, fought in the Battle of Mobile Bay during the Civil War.

Grace Brewster Murray (1906-1992) – Mary Campbell Van Horne (1883-1960) – John Garret Van Horne (1853-1932) – Mary Jane Britton (1832-?) – Abraham Britton Sr. (1803-1866) – Cornelius Britton (1778-1832) – Abraham Britton (abt 1752-bef 1791) – Nathaniel Britton (bef 1729-1792) and Mary ?Fountain? (?-aft 1792), my sixth great grandparents, so Grace and I are sixth cousins once removed.

Grace’s Find a Grave entry.

From Grace to GPT: What Would Hopper Think of AI Today?

Grace Hopper argued for the idea that computers should speak a human-friendly language. Today, AI takes that concept to a whole new level – chatting, summarizing, and yes, even writing blog posts. If Hopper could debug a room-sized machine with a moth and a notebook, she’d probably have a field day with AI’s quirks.

For genealogists, AI isn’t about replacing the thrill of a good document find – it’s about translating messy, hard-to-read data into searchable hints, or helping you brainstorm blog posts (like this one). Hopper’s compiler turned human language into machine instructions. AI, in a way, brings that full circle: it turns data back into human language, stories, and sometimes… cousin connections.

Next time you ask ChatGPT to help you explain the difference between a second cousin and a cousin once removed, just remember: you’re standing on the nanosecond-length shoulders of giants like Grace Hopper.

Want to Learn More?

Next Week’s Topic: “Religious traditions”

AI Disclosure

This post was drafted with the help of GenAI Blogging Buddy, your AI-powered assistant for turning good blog posts into great ones. It was reviewed and shaped by a human for clarity, tone, and wit (OK, maybe I wasn’t the witty one).