Watch Grace Hopper's appearance on the 'Late Show with David Letterman'

Explore a collection of media depicting major milestones from the life of Grace Hopper

The gallery features Hopper's meeting with President Ronald Reagan, her attendance at the groundbreaking of the Grace Murray Hopper Service Center—a Naval data processing facility—and her Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony.

Grace Hopper described serving in the US Navy as the highest award she received

Despite retiring from the US Naval Reserve in 1966 at 60, as stipulated by Navy regulations, Hopper was repeatedly recalled for her pioneering expertise in computer science. By 1983, three years before her final retirement, she would give lectures about 200 days a year to computer scientists at military bases, college campuses, and businesses on behalf of the Navy.

For her contributions, Grace Hopper received more than 40 honorary degrees

Beyond the scholarships, professorships, and awards named in her honor, President George Bush awarded Hopper the National Medal of Technology in 1991 for her work in developing computer programming languages that enhanced accessibility. In 1996, Hopper became only the second woman to have a US Navy warship named after her.

President Barack Obama compared Grace Hopper to the Wright Brothers

When posthumously awarding Hopper with the Presidential Medal of Freedom—the nation's highest civilian honor—on Nov. 22, 2016, the former president remarked, "If Wright is flight, and Edison is light, then Hopper is code. [...] From cell phones to [US] Cyber Command, we can thank Grace Hopper for opening programming to millions more people."

Grace Hopper was named the 1959 Time magazine 'Woman of the Year'

The honor was part of the 2019 series "100 Women of the Year," which spotlighted an influential woman for each of the years the publication had previously awarded a "Man of the Year." In its write-up, Hopper was described as having "paved the way for women everywhere to thrive in math, computer science, and service to their countries."

At the age of seven, Grace Hopper dismantled alarm clocks

Foreshadowing a career in computers, Hopper exhibited a curiosity for gadgets at a young age and took apart seven clocks, determined to understand how they worked. Despite having a dollhouse, Hopper built an elevator for it and showed a greater interest in building toy furniture than playing with dolls.

Later in life, the clock in Grace Hopper's office ran counterclockwise

Acknowledging that most people have "an enormous tendency to resist change," Hopper's clock served as a reminder for the computer scientist that just because things have been done a certain way does not mean they should forever remain that way: "They love to say, 'We've always done it this way.' I try to fight that." (Some users may experience a paywall.)

The Grace Hopper subsea cable transmits internet traffic across the Atlantic

Running between the US, UK, and Spain, the cable is part of an extensive underwater network of fiber optic connections that transmit data across the world at light speed. Equipped with 16 fiber pairs, the private cable was Google's first-ever subsea connection to Spain.

Jacqueline Jenkins-Nye—Bill Nye's mother—worked as a code-breaker in World War II

While in the Navy, she was recruited to work on Enigma to help decode messages from the German military. Historians estimate that the efforts of code-breakers may have collectively shortened the war by as much as two years.

10 ways David Letterman changed late-night TV

Late-night TV is an American institution with its own tropes and traditions. While Johnny Carson is often noted as the model for late-night hosts, the modern notion of the format owes just as much (if not more) to David Letterman, who redefined the model in the early 1980s. This list from ABC News ranks the 10 ways Letterman accomplished that, using one of Letterman's classic bits to honor the man's legacy.

Watch a firsthand account of Hubble's first service mission to repair its faulty mirror

Hubble senior project scientist David Leckrone recalls initial public ridicule over the microscopic manufacturing error that put NASA's reputation at stake. In this behind-the-scenes interview, he breaks down the innovative fix deployed by space shuttle astronauts during Hubble's first servicing mission.

In the 1910s, sailors on a US Navy ship started using the term 'happy hour' in reference to their leisure hours

The leisure activities sailors were treated to during the ship's long voyages included boxing tournaments and dancing—but unlike the happy hours we know today, they likely didn’t involve alcohol. This article includes more information about happy hour’s origin story.

Jean Carroll was one of the first women to make a name in stand-up comedy

Carroll cut her teeth in vaudeville alongside Buddy Howe, her husband, who later became her manager. Despite operating in a male-dominated field, she became a popular headliner and was a mainstay as a stand-up on "The Ed Sullivan Show," which led to her own sitcom.

A quote from Sally Ride

“Three Secrets to Success: Be willing to learn new things. Be able to assimilate new information quickly. Be able to get along with and work with other people.”

Hear Pearl Harbor survivors reflect on the attack 80 years later

This anniversary video features some of the last living witnesses to the Pearl Harbor attack. Their firsthand memories—shared eight decades later—offer a rare perspective on the day that changed their lives and the world.

Inside one of the largest US military bribery schemes

Glenn Defense Marine Asia Ltd. sprinkled US Navy officers with gifts, hosted events attended by Navy officers that were staffed by sex workers, and won millions of dollars worth of inflated military contracts to provide food, fuel, and security to Navy aircraft carriers. Leonard "Fat Leonard" Glenn Francis helmed the company. This 35-minute podcast episode is the beginning of a multi-part series sharing Francis' story from his perspective.

Actresses Christina Applegate and Jamie-Lynn Sigler describe MS ignorance and stigma

Applegate discusses with Conan O'Brien how ignorance about the disease and fake cure information continue to proliferate. Sigler, known for her role on HBO's Sopranos, also discusses how she is now prioritizing roles that will have a disability, like her.

In 1984, Apple ran an award-winning Super Bowl commercial

Directed by Ridley Scott and a winner at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, the clip features a heroine flinging a sledgehammer at a Big Brother-style figure delivering a speech. As the screen shatters, a voiceover proclaims that Apple's release of the Macintosh will ensure, "1984 won't be like '1984.'"

An interview with Laurene Powell Jobs

Steve Jobs is survived by his wife Laurene Powell Jobs, who has spent her career supporting social causes. Powell Jobs said she’s working to distribute the billions of dollars she received from her late husband.

The story of Marion Stokes, a woman who taped 30 years of TV

Marion Stokes was an activist archivist frustrated at the lack of a record or access to what was broadcast on TV. So in 1975, Stokes began taping the broadcasts, day and night, 24 hours a day, and continued to do so for 30 years, racking up over 70,000 tapes that span the Iran Contra crisis to the evolution of cable news. Read about her fascinating story here.

A researcher recently discovered an interview from 1967 between groundbreaking journalist Joan Didion and the Grateful Dead, years before the band became an institution.

How the government caught Billie Holiday

Louis McKay—who was Holiday's manager and abusive husband—worked with the Federal Bureau of Narcotics to ensure Holiday was caught with drugs. She was eventually put on trial and sentenced to a year in prison, where she briefly got sober.

The Japanese Navy used radio silence and deception to mask its approach

In late November 1941, Japan’s carrier strike force maintained total radio silence while operators back home broadcast normal traffic—creating ambiguity about the location of the fleet. The deception obscured US intelligence and helped create a surprise attack.

Joan Didion interviewed The Grateful Dead in 1967, before they became music icons.

See what it's like to work at the White House

Anita McBride discusses her experience working at the White House across three presidential administrations. She began in 1984 as a correspondence analyst, reading mail, and later served as chief of staff to first lady Laura Bush from 2005 to 2009.

Comedy legend Catherine O'Hara, star of 'Schitt's Creek' and 'Home Alone,' quit 'Saturday Night Live' after just one week to return to her old job.

Quantum physics explained in 22 minutes

Brian Cox, Royal Society Professor for Public Engagement in Science, discusses the fundamental principles of quantum mechanics, emphasizing their importance in understanding the nature of reality and their practical applications in emerging technologies like quantum computers.

See the most iconic photos from four decades of LIFE magazine

Explore fun facts from the USPS, including unique post office buildings, a stamp that traveled past Pluto, and more.

English mathematician Ada Lovelace wrote the first computer algorithm a century before computers existed and hypothesized that computing devices would one day be able to compose music—foreseeing the generative AI systems of today.

After NASA's Voyager 1 captured Earth as a single pixel as it left the solar system in 1990, astronomer Carl Sagan used the image to reflect on humanity's fragility and the responsibility to protect 'the only world we've ever known.'

In 1939, baseball star Lou Gehrig delivered his inspirational 'Luckiest Man' speech after retiring due to the health condition that now bears his name.

The story of Dollree Mapp, whose legal challenge over her 1957 conviction for possessing "obscene material" led to a major strengthening of the Fourth Amendment

Search a massive database of over 4 decades of clues from the TV quiz show 'Jeopardy!'

Dorothy's famous entrance into Oz in 'The Wizard of Oz' relied on analog tricks, including a body double and sepia-toned paint, as much as it did on technology

In 2025, four executives from large tech companies were given positions in the US Army Reserves—including Palantir Chief Technology Officer Shyam Sankar, which reinforced Palantir's ties with the US military and its role as a leading defense partner.

20,000 letters to the advice columnist 'Dear Abby' provide insight into prevailing sex, religion, and LGBTQ fears, anxieties, and concerns from the 1950s onward.

Watch a 1934 short film starring jazz legend Cab Calloway, a major figure in the Harlem Renaissance's music scene

In 1915, workers recovered a submarine-like vessel from the Chicago River, prompting fears of German espionage

Radioactive elements can introduce software errors because the ionizing radiation they produce can detach electrons from atoms, and computer code relies on the distribution of electrons.

'Shogun,' a 1980s TV series, helped popularize sushi in the US by stimulating an American interest in Japanese culture.

After the Boston Tea Party, colonists switched to coffee, which became the main morning drink for revolutionaries.

Netflix profits when you're not watching, and its movies are designed that way—read a detail-rich critical essay exposing lesser-known Netflix takes

Watch contemporary footage covering the US-backed Shah of Iran fleeing the country in the face of the 1979 Iranian Revolution

Brandi Chastain, the star of the 1999 US victory over China in the 1999 Women's World Cup, was a last-second choice to take the penalty kick that sealed the victory.

Listen to an in-depth conversation on the links between Parkinson's disease and herbicide exposure and the challenging pace of scientific investigation.

Explore the history, structure, and species of Australia's Great Barrier Reef with this interactive journey narrated by Sir David Attenborough.

Power lines are dotted with large, brightly colored balls to improve the visibility of these thin wires to helicopters and small planes and help prevent potential crashes.

Watch the cumbersome, but necessary, precautions healthcare workers must take to care for and protect themselves while caring for Ebola patients.