🎂 Charles Babbage, father of the computer, is born (1791)
Where: London, UK
📅 On This Day: December 26
December 26, 1791: Charles Babbage, father of the computer, is born. Mathematician Charles Babbage was born in London, England. He designed giant calculating machines made of gears, called difference engines, but never finished building one in his lifetime. His friend Ada Lovelace wrote about what such machines could do and is often called the first programmer.
✨ More events on this day
- 1780 🔬 Mary Somerville was born in Scotland. Mostly self-taught, she became a famous science writer and mathematician, and the word 'scientist' was first coined in a review of her book.
- 1928 💡 Engineer Martin Cooper was born in Chicago. He led the team that built the first handheld mobile phone and made the first public call with it.
- 2012 💡 China opened the world's longest high-speed rail line, linking Beijing and Guangzhou. Trains zoom about 2,300 kilometres between the two cities in around eight hours.
🧠 Question of the day
What made Babbage's calculating machines work?
- Batteries
- Gears
- Sunlight
Show the answer
Answer: Gears
Questions
What happened on December 26?
December 26, 1791: Charles Babbage, father of the computer, is born. It happened in London, UK.
In the game, the "Today on Earth" panel shows this story on its day, with a question to answer and a place to fly to.
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- December 1
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Source: collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co526657/difference-engine-no-2