Grace Hopper "Grandma COBOL" Dons Google Doodle Glory

Google has made quite a name for themselves in the internet world through their re-configuration of title logo they call the Google Doodle. Today, for example, they've made a beautiful illustration – an animated illustration, at that – of none other than Grace Hopper. This Naval Officer was an early computer engineer, having lead the team that created COBOL (Common Business-Oriented Language) and lead the charge to have computers communicate with code, or language, instead of simple numbers.

Hopper was also the origin of the term "debugging", having actually – literally – found a bug in a computer and reported it as such. This moth is still on display today at the U.S. Naval Surface Weapons Center in Dahlgren, Va. with notes from its removal.

You'll find Hopper having retired and re-joined the military several times in her lifetime, having also worked for private firms like the Digital Equipment Corporation. She did a rather entertaining interview with David Letterman back after one of the first time she retired – you'll be able to see this chat in the YouTube video below.

Hopper was one of the first programmers of the Navy's Mark I computer as well. She worked on the UNIVAC I computer, and attained the ranks of captain, commodore, and rear admiral, attaining the same rank as her great grandfather before she retired a final time.