Grace Hopper

格蕾丝·布鲁斯特·霍珀是美国计算机科学家、数学家以及美国海军少将。她开创了与机器无关的编程语言，并开发了至今仍在使用的FLOW-MATIC和COBOL。霍珀是哈佛Mark I计算机的首批程序员之一，并撰写了第一本计算机手册。她在耶鲁大学获得数学博士学位，在二战期间加入海军预备役之前曾在瓦萨学院任教。战后，她参与了UNIVAC I的工作并发明了第一个编译器。1991年，她获得了国家技术奖章，2016年追授总统自由勋章。USS霍珀号驱逐舰、Cray XE6超级计算机和Nvidia GPU架构都以她的名字命名。一年一度的格蕾丝·霍珀女性计算机科学庆典延续着她的遗产。[编辑]

格蕾丝·布鲁斯特·默里出生于纽约市，父亲沃尔特·弗莱彻·默里是一名保险经纪人，母亲玛丽·坎贝尔·范·霍恩·默里。她是三个孩子中的老大。她的父亲认为女儿应该和儿子享有同等的教育机会，这在当时是一种进步的观点。她的母亲热爱几何和数学，激发了格蕾丝早期的兴趣。夏天，她们在新罕布什尔州温特沃斯湖的小屋度过，她玩游戏、做针线、读书和弹钢琴。七岁时，她拆开闹钟想了解其机械原理；无法重新组装后，她又拆了家里另外七个钟。她在纽约市的私立女子学校上学。因未通过瓦萨学院要求的拉丁语考试，她在新泽西州普莱恩菲尔德的哈特里奇学校多读了一年。她于1924年进入瓦萨学院，1928年以优等生身份毕业，获得数学和物理学学士学位。1930年获得硕士学位，1934年在耶鲁大学获得博士学位。在休假期间，她曾在纽约大学跟随数学家理查德·库朗学习。硕士毕业后，她在瓦萨学院教授数学，同时攻读博士学位。[编辑]

1943年，霍珀离开瓦萨学院加入美国海军预备役。训练结束后，她于1944年被分配到哈佛大学克鲁夫特实验室的军械计算项目。她成为霍华德·艾肯领导的哈佛Mark I团队的一员，是Mark I的首批程序员之一。1947年，在Mark II上工作时，一个飞蛾卡在继电器中；她将其粘在日志中，推广了“调试”一词。1949年，她加入埃克特-莫奇利计算机公司，参与UNIVAC I的工作。1952年，她完成了第一个编译器A-0系统，该系统将英语术语翻译成机器代码。1954年，她领导自动编程部门，发布了FLOW-MATIC。1959年，她参与CODASYL联盟，帮助创建了COBOL。整个20世纪60年代，她都在推广COBOL。1966年从海军退役后，她于1967年和1972年再次被召回，最终晋升为上校，并于1985年通过国会特别法案晋升为少将。她于1986年以79岁高龄从海军退役，是海军中年龄最大的现役军官。之后她加入数字设备公司担任顾问和亲善大使，直到1992年去世，每年发表多达300场演讲。[编辑]

霍珀以她的海军制服闻名，即使在退休后也自豪地穿着。她性格直率，同时兼具温暖和教学热情。媒体称她为“神奇的格蕾丝”，一位在计算机科学和军事领域打破障碍的开创性先驱。她被推崇为STEM领域女性的榜样。格蕾丝·霍珀女性计算机科学庆典成立于1994年，是她的粉丝们的主要聚会场所，他们分享故事并穿着“神奇的格蕾丝”商品。她的名言在社交媒体上广泛传播，尤其是在国际妇女节和阿达·洛芙莱斯日。她常被称为“软件女王”和“计算机科学之母”。[编辑]

Grace Hopper's legacy is celebrated not by a traditional fandom with a name, but through the institutions and conferences that carry her spirit. The Grace Hopper Celebration, organized by AnitaB.org, stands as the world's largest gathering of women in technology, drawing tens of thousands each year. Universities across the United States sponsor student attendance, and major corporations send technologists to speak, making it a pilgrimage for women in computing. Yale University renamed Calhoun College to Grace Hopper College in 2017, and the U.S. Navy continues to honor her contributions. The National Security Agency's archival footage of her 1982 lecture has amassed over 171,000 views on YouTube, showing enduring public interest. Her birthday is occasionally noted in tech communities, but no coordinated fan campaigns exist.

As of August 2026, iFANN's Global Fame Engine has evaluated Grace Hopper, but she does not currently hold a placement in the published rankings, either in the Global Top 1,000 or any Top-100 scope list. Her fanbase has no formal name, and her admirers are characterized by professional reverence rather than fan rituals.[编辑]

Grace Hopper's office clock ran counterclockwise, a symbol of her challenge to conventional thinking. She famously said, 'Humans are allergic to change. They love to say, "We've always done it this way." I try to fight that.' She predicted desktop computers and that non-programmers would use them. After retiring from the Navy, she continued to wear her full dress uniform to lectures, contrary to policy. She wrote the first computer manual, 'A Manual of Operation for the Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator.' At age eight, her father had both legs amputated; his bravery inspired her to face challenges. She failed a Latin exam required for Vassar, delaying enrollment by a year.

Among the legends that persist, Hopper's nanosecond wire is verified: she handed out 11.8-inch pieces of wire to illustrate the distance light travels in a nanosecond. The story of the first computer bug is partially true: a moth was found in a relay of the Harvard Mark II in 1947, and Hopper popularized the tale, though she did not coin the term. Her quote 'It's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission' is documented from her speeches. Her nickname 'Amazing Grace' was earned during her naval career, and her promotion to Rear Admiral in 1985 remains a celebrated milestone.[编辑]

格蕾丝是三个孩子中的老大，父亲沃尔特·弗莱彻·默里是保险经纪人、耶鲁毕业生，母亲玛丽·坎贝尔·范·霍恩·默里。她的母亲学习几何，热爱数学。父亲相信女儿应享有平等教育。她有一个妹妹和一个弟弟。格蕾丝于1930年与文森特·福斯特·霍珀结婚，1945年离婚，无子女。她没有其他已知的恋爱关系。她住在弗吉尼亚州阿灵顿县，并在那里去世。她安葬于阿灵顿国家公墓。[编辑]

霍华德·艾肯领导了哈佛马克一号团队，霍珀是其中的关键程序员。约翰·莫奇利和J. Presper Eckert创立了Eckert-Mauchly计算机公司，霍珀于1949年加入。她在纽约大学跟随数学家理查德·库朗学习。1983年，莫利·塞弗在《60分钟》节目中采访了她，促成了她的晋升。众议员菲利普·克兰发起了晋升她为海军少将的决议。[编辑]

格蕾丝·默里于1930年与英语教师文森特·福斯特·霍珀结婚。两人于1945年离婚。她在职业生涯中一直保留他的姓氏。这段婚姻没有子女。在可靠来源中没有记录其他公开的恋爱关系。霍珀一生致力于工作、海军和指导年轻人。截至2026年，她已去世，没有在世配偶或伴侣。[编辑]

Grace Hopper spent her final days in the quiet of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, then known as Bethesda Naval Hospital, where she had been receiving care for her advanced years. The official cause was recorded as natural causes associated with old age, a determination made through standard medical certification procedures within the military hospital system rather than an autopsy or coroner's ruling. Public reaction to her passing involved widespread tributes from the U.S. government, the Navy, and the scientific community, who honored her as one of the most influential figures in computing history. Her funeral and memorial services were held privately consistent with the wishes of many high-ranking naval officers during that era, and she was cremated with her ashes interred at Arlington National Cemetery in Section 3, Site 2040-A alongside other distinguished veterans.

Posthumous recognition included induction into the National Women's Hall of Fame and the Computer History Museum's Hall of Fellows, while the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Hopper (DDG-70) was named in her honor and launched in 1997. Educational institutions later dedicated facilities to her legacy, including the renaming of Calhoun College at Yale University to Grace Hopper College in 2026, and the annual Grace Hopper Celebration continues to advance women in technology.[编辑]

Heading into 2026, iFANN currently estimates Grace Hopper's estate at $500 Thousand. She died in 1992 and did not accumulate significant personal wealth compared to modern tech figures. Her income during her lifetime came from her salary as a Vassar College professor, U.S. Navy pay and pension, compensation from Eckert-Mauchly/Sperry Rand, and a consultant salary from Digital Equipment Corporation. She also earned speaking fees from up to 300 lectures per year and book royalties from computing manuals. The estate is managed by family representatives. Revenue sources include posthumous licensing of her name and image, book royalties, and continued use of her name on the Grace Hopper Celebration conference. The estate has grown modestly over the years due to ongoing educational and memorial merchandising.[编辑]

霍珀于1991年获得国家技术奖章，是第一位获此殊荣的女性个人。2016年，她被追授总统自由勋章，这是美国最高的平民荣誉。她获得了全球大学授予的40个荣誉博士学位。IEEE于2024年设立了一块纪念牌，表彰她发明了A-0编译器。[编辑]