Charles Babbage

                                                         Charles Babbage

Charles Babbage was a mathematical genius of the nineteenth century, who not only hand crafted the world's first computer from the ground up, but programmed it, and designed the tools he needed to do so by himself.

Charles Babbage was born on December twenty-six, seventeen ninety-one, London, United Kingdom, unto Benjamin Babbage Jr. and Betsy Teape. At an early age he was taught by private educators. In eighteen-ten, he enrolled in Trinity College at Cambridge University, though much to his dismay as he found he knew more about math than every professor on campus, so he helped found the Analytical Society. In eighteen-fourteen he graduated and married Georgiana  Whitmore who had eight children, only three of whom would make to adulthood.

In eighteen twenty-two he would begin the first of many designs that would amount to his life's work. Charles, not liking the hundreds of mathematical errors in standard, handwritten math equations, designed the difference engine no.1. He only reached prototype phase before he ran out of money for parts and construction. The analytical engine was a later work of his that could be programmed but was never completed. He first had the idea in 1833 and began designing it immediately, but even with publicity support from friend and colleague, Ada Lovelace, could not convince anyone to fund his work. He gave up in 1842.

From 1846 to 1849 Babbage worked on a second difference engine. Though it was smaller, and calculated more accurately, and probably would have been cheaper to mass produce, Babbage never made any attempt to construct it.  Babbage's designs used much fewer parts than his first model. Babbage In 1991 scientists at the London Museum made a working, completed difference engine according to Babbage's first design.

 Charles Babbage accomplished many things in his life but his greatest success of all... was that he earned the respect of me, and became my hero.

 By Robbie