Charles Babbage is considered the grandfather of the computer. In about 1820, he began trying to build a machine that could calculate mathematical tables automatically. He started work on the Difference Engine, which used a series of gears and axles. Babbage also designed a machine that could print out the machine's results, rather than allow people to write down the answers and possibly introduce mistakes. In 1832, he started working on another machine - the Analytical Machine, which was very complicated and was never actually built. No machine with its power or versatility would be seen for more than a century. The Mammoth Book of Great Inventions, edited by James Dyson and Robert Uhlig

Charles Babbage is considered the grandfather of the computer. In about 1820, he began trying to build a machine that could calculate mathematical tables automatically. He started work on the Difference Engine, which used a series of gears and axles. Babbage also designed a machine that could print out the machine's results, rather than allow people to write down the answers and possibly introduce mistakes. In 1832, he started working on another machine - the Analytical Machine, which was very complicated and was never actually built. No machine with its power or versatility would be seen for more than a century. The Mammoth Book of Great Inventions, edited by James Dyson and Robert Uhlig