Artifact Details

Title

Hamilton, Margaret oral history

Catalog Number

102738243

Type

Document

Description

In this oral history, Margaret Hamilton describes her life and career in computing. She begins with a discussion of her family background and youth, including family influences, job experiences, and the development of her interest in mathematics at Earlham College. She reviews her first impressions of computing when working as an actuarial trainee. Her first work in programming with MIT professor Edward Lorenz follows, as does details of her subsequent work at Project MAC and the Lincoln Laboratory on SAGE. She reviews her work on the software for the Apollo Guidance Computer in detail, including her work on errors, alarms, software engineering, and her memorable experiences with the Apollo 8 and Apollo 11 missions. Afterward, she reviews her work on errors leading to formal methods for avoiding them, and for control theory more broadly, developing into the Universal Systems Language. She further details the support of this work, and her experiences in creating two companies to pursue it. The interview concludes with reflections on cultural issues in computing, and more broadly.

Date

2017-04-13

Contributor

Brock, David C., Interviewer
Hamilton, Margaret H., Interviewee

Publisher

Computer History Museum

Place of Publication

Boston, MA, USA

Extent

47 p.

Format

PDF

Category

Transcription

Subject

Earlham College; Mathematics; MIT; Lorenz, Edward; Lincoln Laboratory; SAGE (Air defense system); Apollo space program; Apollo Guidance Computer; Apollo 8; Apollo 11; Moon landing; Error; formal methods; Systems; US Air Force; Entrepreneurship; Perot, Ross; US Department of Defense; Space Shuttle Program; Universal Systems Language; Hamilton Technologies; NASA; Skylab

Collection Title

CHM Oral History Collection

Credit

Computer History Museum

Lot Number

X8164.2017

Related Records

102738244 Hamilton, Margaret oral history