Charles Babbage

Charles Babbage was born in Teignmouth, Devonshire UK December 26, 1791. Charles Babbage has made contributions to the design of the computer through his invention of the analytical machine. Since he made these contributions he is sometime known as the father of computing. Charles Babbage went to college at Trinity College in Cambridge, and received an MA in 1817. He was the inventor of the universal digital computer, and is considered a highly intelligent thinker.

Many inventions came from Babbage, including the Jacquard punch cards, chains, and subassemblies, but most importantly the modern computer. All of these inventions came from Babbage. He also made a machine called the ‘difference engine’. It was intended for the production of tables. While he produced prototypes of his ‘difference engine’, George and Edvard Schuetz tried to make the design successful but could only do it in limited abilities.

Babbage’s wife Georgina died in 1827 at the age of 35. At the end of 1830 Babbage wished to move his workshop to his house on Dorset Street. Clement worked with Babbage and was a man of great ego who refused to leave his own workshop. Babbage couldn’t get any further money from Clement so Clement dismissed the crew that worked with Babbage and the work on the ‘difference engine’ came to a halt. This didn’t seem to bother Babbage that much. His real scheme for the ‘difference engine’ was its six decimal places and a second order difference. He had started to plan a 20 decimal places and a sixth order difference.

Babbage didn’t understand the growth of London as the result of the industry. By the 1850s, industry was all over Britain. Many years before industry had taken over Britain, Babbage bought a house in the country in a very quiet location. The creation of the railways marked a great change in the industry of Britain. The creation of these railways released the manufacturing companies from only using water transport. Then shops, with people and also thieves, came with the industry. Babbage tried to work with industry when it was in a frenzy. He tried to improve the industry and expand it. Improvement came along so quickly that the unfinished machines and engines were abandoned and left with the owners. Babbage loved science, and added higher mathematics to certain industrial problems.

Babbage also did many things to improve the British tool industry. His foreman in the shop introduced the first series of standard screw threads, boosting along the industry in Britain. He also made the gears from the ‘difference engine’, as well as the design of lathes and tool makers. It is no wonder why Charles Babbage is well known. With all the inventions and machines and engines he invented he should be well known. He deserves the title, ‘Father of the Modern Computer’, because without him we might not even have a computer today.