Charles Babbage

Charles Babbage was an English mathematician, philosopher, inventor, and mechanical engineer who is best known for conceiving of the idea of a programmable computer. He designed the "Difference Engine," an automatic mechanical calculator designed to tabulate polynomial functions, and the more complex "Analytical Engine," which was intended to perform any kind of calculation and can be considered an early model for the modern computer.

He is best known for his design of the Analytical Engine, a mechanical general-purpose computer that was conceived as a successor to his earlier invention, the Difference Engine. Babbage's Analytical Engine incorporated key principles of modern computing, including the use of punched cards for input and output, a memory unit, and the ability to perform arithmetic and logical operations.

Charles Babbage was an English polymath. A mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer, Babbage originated the concept of a digital programmable computer.

• He is credited with inventing the first mechanical computer, the difference engine, that eventually led to more complex electronic designs, though all the essential ideas of modern computers are to be found in his analytical engine, programmed using a principle openly borrowed from the Jacquard loom.
• As part of his computer work, he also designed the first computer printers.