Who Invented Computers?

Charles Babbage, an English mathematician, philosopher and inventor, is considered as the father of ‘programmable computers’. His first computer, which was completed, was the Difference Engine. It came out in the 1820s. The word ‘computer’ was used in the 16th century to denote a person who performed calculations. It was only in the 19th century that ‘computer’ got its modern sense of meaning.

Babbage was born in London, England on 25 December, 1792 to Benjamin Babbage and Betsy Plumleigh. He was sent to a country school in Alphington at the age of eight. He also attended King Edward VI Grammar School and Holmwood Academy. In 1812, he was transferred to Peterhouse, Cambridge. He was a top mathematician there. It is said that he received his honoree degree without passing an examination. Babbage was married to Georgiana Whitmore on 25 July, 1814. The couple had eight children.

To define a computer is a complex phenomenon and therefore, some critics argue why a abacus or slide rule or astrolabe or William Schikard’s calculator etc. is not considered as the first computer. Those devices could also perform calculations, the critics say. The debate is endless but experts normally agree on the Difference Engine as the first computer in the modern sense of the word. Babbage worked for ten years on his ‘Difference Engine’ but gave up the idea later. It is said that he lost interest because he had a better computer ‘Analytical Engine’ in mind. Most of his designs were never materialized. The main reasons included funding problems and lack of enthusiasm and support from contemporaries.

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