Coding

I am a secret language that speaks to machines. Have you ever played a video game and made a character jump. Or asked a grown-up’s phone for the weather. That was me. I’m the set of instructions that tells computers, robots, and gadgets what to do. I turn your ideas into actions, like a recipe for a robot chef or a map for a digital explorer. I don’t use words like 'please' and 'thank you,' but I use special commands to make amazing things happen. I am Coding.

A long, long time ago, before there were computers, people were already thinking about me. Around the year 1804, a man named Joseph Marie Jacquard invented a special loom for weaving cloth. He used cards with holes punched in them to tell the loom which threads to use, creating beautiful patterns automatically. Those punch cards were like my very first words. Then, on a chilly December 10th, 1815, a brilliant woman named Ada Lovelace was born. In the 1840s, she imagined a machine that could do more than just math—it could create music and art if someone gave it the right instructions. She wrote down the first-ever computer program, dreaming of all the things I could one day do.

As computers grew from the size of a room to the size of a book, I grew, too. In the 1950s, a clever computer scientist named Grace Hopper helped me learn to speak in languages that were easier for people to understand. Before her, talking to a computer was very, very tricky. Thanks to her, more people could learn to use me. I helped scientists send astronauts to the moon on July 20th, 1969, by calculating the perfect path. By the 1980s, I started showing up in homes, powering the first personal computers and video games. I was no longer just for scientists; I was for everyone.

Today, I am everywhere. I’m in the apps on your tablet, the smart speakers that play your favorite songs, and the websites where you learn new things. I help artists create digital paintings and doctors design new medicines. I am the magic behind the screen, and the best part is that anyone can learn to speak my language. You can use me to build a game, design an animation, or solve a tricky puzzle. I am a tool for your imagination. What amazing instructions will you give me today.