Birth:
December 26, 1791
Death:
October 18, 1871
Major Academic Events:
In 1816, Babbage was elected a member of the Royal Society in London. Sometime around 1828-39 he was a Mathematics professor at the University of Cambridge. He received the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society for his work in astronomy.
Contributions to Computer Science:
Babbage is credited for inventing the first automatic digital computer. In 1821 Babbage invented the Difference Engine which performed small calculations with a 20-decimal capacity. He received his fame from his invention called the Analytical Engine. The Analytical Engine could perform any arithmetical calculations and it had a memory unit large enough to store 1000 50-digit numbers. This Analytical Engine was more powerful than the Difference Engine and it has components of many computers today. The Analytical Engine was later found to be able to perform a series of calculations which became the first computer program. Some of his smaller contributions are inventing the speedometer and locomotive cowcatcher.