Charles Babbage

1791 – 1871 · died at about 80^[1][2]

Science & Invention

Fun Facts About Charles Babbage

• Charles Babbage's brain is split between two London museums: half is preserved at the Hunterian Museum and the other half is on display at the Science Museum.^[1]
• In 1838 Babbage invented the cow-catcher, the metal frame on the front of locomotives that clears obstacles from the tracks.^[1]
• Babbage waged a public war on street noise, especially organ grinders, once tallying 165 "nuisances" over 80 days.^[1]
• Babbage broke the Vigenère cipher during the Crimean War, but his work was kept a military secret and the credit went to Friedrich Kasiski; his priority was not established until 1985.^[1]
• Babbage never finished his Difference Engine, but in 1991 a working one was built from his original plans to 19th-century tolerances, showing his machine would have worked.^[1]
• As a student, Babbage belonged to the Ghost Club, which investigated the supernatural, and the Extractors Club, pledged to rescue members from the madhouse.^[1]
• Charles Babbage designed the Analytical Engine, and Ada Lovelace published an algorithm for it in 1843.^[1][2][3][4]
• Charles Babbage was alive at the same time as Vladimir Lenin — their lives overlapped for 1 year (1870–1871).^[1][2][5][6]

Charles Babbage was an English polymath. A mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer, Babbage originated the concept of a digital programmable computer.^[1]

Contemporaries

Michael Faraday

76 yr overlap

Jacob Grimm

72 yr overlap

Victor Hugo

69 yr overlap

Arthur Schopenhauer

69 yr overlap

Ralph Waldo Emerson

68 yr overlap

Alexandre Dumas

68 yr overlap

George Sand

67 yr overlap

Hans Christian Andersen

66 yr overlap

Carl Friedrich Gauss

64 yr overlap

Charles Darwin

62 yr overlap

Franz Liszt

60 yr overlap

Heinrich Heine

59 yr overlap

Their World

Questions About Charles Babbage

When was Charles Babbage born?

Charles Babbage was born on December 26, 1791, and died on October 18, 1871.

How old was Charles Babbage at death?

Charles Babbage was born on December 26, 1791, and died on October 18, 1871, at age 79.

What was Charles Babbage known for?

Charles Babbage was known for: Father of the computer, designed the Analytical Engine. Charles Babbage was an English polymath. A mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer, Babbage originated the concept of a digital programmable computer.

Who was alive at the same time as Charles Babbage?

Charles Babbage's closest contemporary was Michael Faraday. Their lives overlapped for 76 years.