The simple question of who invented the digital computer has many possible answers. Several strands of development – both theoretical and practical – converged around 1950, and no single inventor can be identified.
Before that time, numerous mechanical calculating machines were devised and constructed. These greatly facilitated the preparation of mathematical tables, crucial for engineering and for navigation, but were of relatively limited power.
In the 1820s, Charles Babbage designed his Difference Engine, an automatic mechanical calculator.
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