Dorothy Blum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dorothy Toplitzky Blum
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| Born | February 21, 1924 New York City, NY, US
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| Citizenship | American |
| Alma mater | Brooklyn College |
| Occupation | Computer scientist, cryptanalyst |
| Employer | National Security Agency, US Army |
Dorothy Toplitzky Blum (born February 21, 1924 – died October 1980) was a brilliant American computer scientist and code-breaker. She worked for the National Security Agency (NSA) and its earlier groups from 1944 until she passed away in 1980. She helped change how the NSA used computers to understand secret messages.
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Her Early Life
Dorothy Toplitzky was born in 1924 in New York City. Her parents had moved to the United States from Austria-Hungary.
A Career in Code-Breaking
After finishing college at Brooklyn College in 1944, Dorothy joined a special code-breaking team. This team was part of the U.S. Army. Their main job was cryptanalysis, which is the science of breaking secret codes. They worked to understand the hidden messages from enemy countries during World War II.
After the war, she continued her work for the United States Armed Forces Security Agency. Later, this agency became the National Security Agency (NSA).
Leading the Way in Computing
In the 1950s, while working at the NSA, Dorothy Blum had an important task. She had to "keep up with the newest computer ideas." Her job was to suggest computer technologies that could help with code-breaking. She also looked for ways to improve how secret messages were sent and received.
Dorothy was one of the first to use the FORTRAN programming language. She started using it three years before it was even released to the public in 1957. She wrote computer programs for the NSA. She also led the effort to teach other NSA employees how to write programs for code-breaking.
Breaking Barriers
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Dorothy continued to work in computer science. She helped design the NSA's computer systems. She also helped make many processes automatic. This meant computers could do tasks that people used to do.
In 1972, she became the chief of the NSA Computer Operations Organization (C7). At that time, she was the only woman in a management role in that part of the organization. In 1977, she was made chief of the Plans and Project Development Organization (T4). This was part of the Telecommunications and Computer Services Organization. She was also involved in a group called Women in NSA (WIN).
Her Lasting Impact
Dorothy Blum passed away from cancer in October 1980, when she was 56 years old. The NSA created an award in her honor. It is called the Dorothy T Blum Award. This award celebrates excellence in how employees grow personally and professionally.
In 2004, she was added to the NSA Hall of Honor. This is a special place for people who made big contributions to the NSA. An official NSA biography says that in her 36-year career, Dorothy "significantly changed the way NSA did cryptanalysis." She was also chosen as one of the top 100 "most outstanding women in the federal government."
Her Family Life
In 1950, Dorothy married Joseph Blum, who was also a mathematician at the NSA. They later had a son named David Blum.
