Used with
permission of Maiken Naylor, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA,
http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/sel/exhibits/stamps
Charles Babbage (1792-1871) was responsible for the invention of an early antecedent of the modern computer, the analytical engine. There was much interest in calculating devices in his time, but the technology to make the analytical engine work was not yet available.