The Untold Truth Of Charles Addams, Creator Of The Addams Family

Today, the world is starting to recognize the contributions of women in fields like computing and aeronautics, but for a long time, these scientists, mathematicians, and programmers were overlooked. According to Silicon Republic, some of the inspiration to rediscover them came from an odd place: Charles Addams.

In 1961, Addams did a cover for The New Yorker that showed a mature, grandmotherly-type woman sitting at the sort of massive computer bank that was the norm back then. The computer spits out a Valentine. Isn't that cute? Sure is!

Only, it was much, much more. Kathy Kleiman is now the founder of the ENIAC Programmers Project, which is dedicated to finding and preserving the stories of long-forgotten female programmers — and, in turn, promoting STEM fields to modern women. She was an undergraduate when she questioned why men in photos of the first computers were identified but women were not, and was told that they were models. They were not — they were programmers.

Addams cartoon is credited as being one of the pieces of proof that at the time, it was widely known — and accepted — that women were involved in computer science, the development of technology, and programming. What happened in the meantime is a very long story, but Addams? He may not have known how important that cover would be — particularly to the women who were forgotten for too long.

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