As you might expect from its name, the "Difference Engine" is a strangely difficult object to describe. You might start by imagining the side of a large crib with uprights ringed by small metal wheels ...

Charles Babbage was born on 26 December 1791, probably in London, the son of a banker. He was often unwell as a child and was educated mainly at home. By the time he went to Cambridge University in ...

The question of who invented the first computer and when was the computer invented has a complex answer that spans centuries of innovation. Many people assume a single inventor and a specific date, ...