In 1822 an English mathematician Charles Babbage developed a machine called Difference Engine which could calculate various mathematical functions, do polynomial evaluation by finite difference and theoretically could also solve differential equations.




In 1833, he designed the Analytical Engine which later on proved to be the basis of modern computer.



This machine could perform all the four arithmetic operations as well as comparison. It included the concept of central processor, memory storage and input-output devices. Even the stored information could be modified. Although the analytical engine was never built that time but Babbage established the basic principles on which today’s modern computers work.

Both these great inventions earned him the title of  “father of modern computers
Later in 1944, Prof Howard Aiken constructed “Mark 1”, an electromechanical computer built in collaboration with IBM.
Mark 1 was capable of multiplying two 10 digit numbers in 5 seconds. It was based on Babbage‘s analytical engine.
It is the first operational general purpose computer capable of executing preprogrammed instructions without any manual intervention.