Claire L. Evans

Claire L. Evans

Claire L. Evans was born on November 21st, 1984 and is currently 41 years old. Claire L. Evans was born in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. Evans attended Occidental College.

Claire L. Evans is an American singer, author best known as the lead vocalist of the pop duo YACHT. She is also a journalist and the author of Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet.

The book challenges the common narrative that the internet’s history was built almost entirely by men. Instead, it shines a light on the many women whose groundbreaking work shaped computing and online culture, yet whose names and contributions have often been left out of the story.

The book explains that before “computer” referred to a machine, it was actually a job title for people who performed large-scale mathematical calculations. Evans begins with Ada Lovelace, who worked with Charles Babbage in the 1800s, then moves to Grace Hopper, whose efforts during World War II on the Mark I and Mark II computers played a role in the early days of modern programming. Hopper later became known as the “grandmother of COBOL” for her role in creating a widely used programming language.

Evans also recounts the work of the ENIAC Six, a group of women who wrote some of the first computer programs in the 1940s by experimenting with wiring and diagnosing vacuum tubes. Despite their achievements, they went unrecognized for decades.

By the 1960s, programming was considered suitable “women’s work,” often compared to answering phones, but it was poorly paid compared to men’s jobs. Over time, programming was rebranded as “software engineering,” which helped push women out of the field and reshape computing as a male-dominated profession.

The book goes on to highlight many other overlooked pioneers: Pam Hardt-English, Jake Feinler, Radia Perlman, Stacy Horn, Wendy Hall, and others who laid the foundations of hypertext and early web communities.

It also explores the rise of women in online media, such as Marisa Bowe and Jaime Levy with Word.com, as well as Nancy Rhine, Ellen Pack, Marleen McDaniel with Women’s Wire and women.com, and Brenda Laurel’s influential work in interactive media.

Evans captures the energy of the early internet, when online communities felt collaborative and experimental. She describes the web as existing at the intersection of code, culture, and infrastructure, a place where women played key roles in shaping its possibilities. The book suggests that if their work had been fully valued and supported, the internet might have evolved into a less toxic, more inclusive space.

Overall, Broad Band is both a recovery of forgotten history and a thought-provoking look at what the internet could have been if the women who helped build it had received the recognition and influence, they deserved.

Claire L. Evans: Lists & Other Mentions

• Broad Band: The Verge: The Greatest Tech Books of All Time Selection in 2023.

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3. Andy Weir, author of: Project Hail Mary.
4. Neil Gaiman, author of the American Gods Series.
5. Cory Doctorow, author of the Little Brother Series.

Claire L. Evans: F.A.Q