Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet

Broad Band chronicles the overlooked women who shaped the development of computing and the internet from the 1800s through the modern era. The book follows key female pioneers including Ada Lovelace, Grace Hopper, Elizabeth "Jake" Feinler, and others who made crucial contributions as programmers, engineers, and early online community builders. Through archival research and interviews, Evans reconstructs how these women navigated male-dominated tech spaces while creating essential innovations in programming languages, network protocols, and user interfaces. The narrative spans from early mechanical computing through the rise of personal computers and the dawn of the World Wide Web. Their stories reveal how women helped establish the technical and social foundations of our digital world, often without recognition. The book documents their professional achievements while examining the cultural and institutional barriers they faced. The work speaks to enduring questions about gender, power, and who gets to shape transformative technologies. By recovering these histories, Evans argues for a more complete and nuanced understanding of how the internet came to be.

Readers describe this book as an accessible history that brings attention to overlooked women in computing. Many appreciate Evans' storytelling approach and how she connects historical figures to modern technology. Liked: - Clear writing style that makes technical concepts understandable - Focus on lesser-known contributors like the ENIAC programmers and Grace Hopper - Personal narratives and interviews with living subjects - Detailed research and extensive footnotes Disliked: - Some sections feel rushed or superficial - Later chapters lose focus and momentum - Too much biographical detail at times vs technical contributions - Several readers note factual errors about programming concepts Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (2,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.4/5 (180+ ratings) Notable reader comment: "Does a great job highlighting forgotten pioneers but sometimes gets lost in personal details instead of focusing on their technical achievements." - Goodreads reviewer

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🔹 Though often overshadowed by male counterparts, women like Grace Hopper, Elizabeth "Jake" Feinler, and Stacy Horn were instrumental in developing foundational elements of computer programming, network organization, and online communities. 🔹 Author Claire L. Evans is not only a technology journalist but also the lead singer of the electronic pop band YACHT, bringing both technical knowledge and artistic perspective to her writing. 🔹 The book reveals that the first social networks weren't created in Silicon Valley - they were women-run bulletin board systems (BBS) in New York City, including Echo, founded by Stacy Horn in 1990. 🔹 The ENIAC, America's first electronic computer, was programmed entirely by women - Kay McNulty, Betty Jennings, Betty Snyder, Marlyn Wescoff, Fran Bilas, and Ruth Lichterman - who received little recognition for decades. 🔹 The organizational system for the early internet's domain names and addresses was developed by Elizabeth "Jake" Feinler and her team at the Network Information Center (NIC), establishing the familiar .com, .edu, .gov, .org, and .mil suffixes we still use today.