Hertha Marks Ayrton was born on April 28, 1854, in Portsea, England.
Hertha Marks Ayrton was born on April 28, 1854, in Portsea, England. She was the third child in a family of eight born to Levi Marks, a watchmaker, and Alice Theresa Moss. This environment significantly shaped her intellectual curiosity and interest in science. Her birth marked the beginning of a life that would see the breach of numerous gender barriers in the male-dominated field of science.
Ayrton's family supported education, and despite societal norms concerning women’s education, she pursued her studies fervently, later attending Girton College, Cambridge. Her birthday is significant as it heralded the arrival of a future pioneer who would go on to make remarkable advances in physics and engineering.