Home > History Fact Finder > Science and Invention - Who Invented The Computer?

1. Printable Version
2. Download PDF
3. Cite this Page

Who invented the computer?

English mathematician Charles Babbage (1792–1871) designed a mechanical computing machine called the "analytical engine." It is considered the forerunner of the digital computer, a programmable electronic device that stores, retrieves, and processes data.

While attending Cambridge University in 1812, Babbage conceived of the idea of a machine that could calculate data more rapidly than existing computing methods, and without human error. The Industrial Revolution (a period of technological development; c. 1750–c. 1850) had been underway for more than half a century, and the world was becoming increasingly complex. Human errors in mathematical tables posed serious problems for many rapidly growing industries. After graduating from Cambridge, Babbage returned to the idea of developing a device to facilitate computation. Beginning work in 1834, he spent the rest of his life and much of his...

Join eNotes

The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:

eNotes Pass

1. Mathematics And Astronomy
   1. Who was Pythagoras?
   2. Who was Euclid?
   3. What was Nicholas Copernicus's contribution to knowledge of the universe?
   4. What were Galileo's contributions to science and mathematics?
   5. Why was Johannes Kepler important to modern astronomy?
   6. When did Halley's Comet first appear?
   7. Did Isaac Newton really discover the law of gravitation when an apple fell from a tree and hit him on the head?
   8. Who invented calculus?
   9. What is the Hubble Space Telescope?
2. Biology
   1. What were George Washington Carver's agricultural discoveries?
   2. How did Charles Darwin develop the theory of evolution?
   3. Who are Louis and Mary Leakey and what did they discover?
   4. When was the structure of DNA discovered?
   5. What is cloning?
3. Physics
   1. Why was the development of quantum theory important?
   2. Why is the equation E=mc2 significant?
   3. Why did Albert Einstein want the United States to develop the atomic bomb?
   4. What was Enrico Fermi's contribution to the understanding of nuclear power?
   5. Why was J. Robert Oppenheimer accused of being disloyal to the United States?
   6. What is the doomsday clock?
   7. What is the big bang theory?
4. Technology
   1. When was the compass first used?
   2. When was the calendar invented?
   3. When was the clock introduced?
   4. What did Alfred Nobel invent?
   5. Who invented the thermometer?
   6. Why is Thomas Edison considered one of the greatest inventors in history?
   7. Who invented the steam engine?
   8. How long have trains been in use?
   9. When did rail service in the United States reach from coast to coast?
   10. When was the bicycle invented?
   11. Did Henry Ford invent the automobile?
   12. Who invented the hot-air balloon?
   13. Did the Wright brothers invent the airplane, or were they just the first to fly one?
   14. When did the first jet airplane take off?
   15. Who invented the telegraph?
   16. Who invented the telephone?
   17. When was photography invented?
   18. Who invented the television?
   19. When was the fax machine invented?
   20. Who invented the computer?
   21. When was e-mail invented?
   22. Who wrote the first computer program?
   23. When was the first computer chip developed?
   24. Who invented the first personal computer?
   25. Why was the Internet created?

1. Galileo Galilei