Monday, April 22, 2013

Dames in the 40's Liked Math

They didn't say,

"but math is tough."

or

"I just don't like math."

or

"I'm more of a people person."

They said, "Cool, let's learn COBOL."

And that's when they were (of course) HORRENDOUSLY oppressed in those barbaric 1940's.

7 comments:

Greg said...

Whenever I hear women whine about how "there isn't enough being done to help women in math" - I just tell them about Sophie Germain.

Sophie Germain - a mathematical genius. She studied math at a time when women weren't even allowed in school. But she was so determined to get her work noticed, she wrote to Gauss - the most eminent mathematician of his time - under a male pseudonym in order to get him to read her stuff. Her work was SO good, when Gauss found out she was a woman, he DEMANDED that she receive mathematical instruction. And she did.



AuricTech said...

They said, "Cool, let's learn COBOL."

At least, that's what they said when they weren't busy inventing frequency-hopping spread-spectrum communications instead.

Unknown said...

Gotta love The Greatest Generation. Kicking such ass in a massive World War. Something went wrong down the line.

Penrose said...

With the MSM publishing a deluge of female superiority articles do you really need to add to the gynocentric view, Aaron?

Pulp Herb said...

Actually, the were saying "Let's invent COBOL"

Feminism has destroyed women, not improved them. Admiral Hopper was too busy doing things to whine about how she was being treated.

Pulp Herb said...

Actually, the were saying "Let's invent COBOL"

Feminism has destroyed women, not improved them. Admiral Hopper was too busy doing things to whine about how she was being treated.

Twenty said...

"With the MSM publishing a deluge of female superiority articles do you really need to add to the gynocentric view, Aaron?"

It is kinda weird -- I hear far, far, far more about what's-her-name and that COBOL abomination than I do about, say, Eckert, Mauchly, von Neumann, McCarthy or Ritchie -- to name just 5.

Kinda funny, innit?