Difference Engine

Babbage’s Difference Engine, funded by Lovelace, is the first modern mechanical computer. No sooner had he announced his idea than many declared it impractical or even a hoax.

Engineers eventually built a working difference engine in 2002 proving Babbage’s ideas were viable, but the engineering processes of his time were inadequate. Presently, there are working versions of Babbage’s computer.

Initially, Babbage had trouble securing employment. Cambridge eventually awarded him the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, the same chair that Issac Newton held and that Stephen Hawking would eventually hold.

“The Analytical Engine weaves algebraic patterns, just as the Jacquard loom weaves flowers and leaves.”

Ada Lovelace

Presently, Babbage and Lovelace are considered parents of the modern computer age.