Portrait of the British mathematician Charles Babbage, 1792-1871. Babbage was professor of mathematics at Cambridge, worked on the theory of functions & algebra & invented an ophthalmoscope. In 1833 he produced a 'difference engine', a mechanical device for compiling logarithms. He began designing an 'analytical engine' capable of executing any sequence of arthmetic instructions. It was to use punched cards and possess a memory for holding results. Lady Ada Lovelace (Lord Byron's daughter) helped design the programmes. Funds ran out & the machine was not completed. Babbage's work contained many of the principles of modern computing