I've been coding all day, creating what I think is computer software, but my eyes are too glazed over to tell anymore.
Coding sounds so interesting!  I wish I knew more about it!
There's certainly a lot to learn. There's C, C++, C#, Java, and a million other languages that all interact in different ways with each other.
Oh wow!  When did people start coding?
Depends on what you consider coding, but in 1842, Ada Lovelace created an algorithm to calculate Bernoulli numbers in an analytical engine.
She sounds fascinating!  Can you tell me any more about her?
Sure, she was really the first person to realize that a simple device for calculation had far more applications than its original stated purpose.
It must have been tough for her, as a woman back then.  Are there any other people well known for coding?
Yep, lossless data compression (which you rely on more than you may think) was created by David A. Huffman, a coding student at MIT.