30 déc. 1836 - Charles Babbage begins his work on the Analytical Engine

Description:

The Analytical Engine was the first "programmed" computer, as it used patterned punchcards to operate. Although the machine itself was revolutionary, it would be difficult to fully understand it without Ada Lovelace's notes.

This machine was intended to perform a variety of tasks, but Babbage unfortunately passed away before its completion. This machine shows many similarities to early computers, and without Babbage and Lovelace's ideas, many early computer scientists may have struggled.

Ada Lovelace, Babbage's assistant, was the first person to have the idea of numbers representing more than quantity. If the Analytical engine could perform mathematical calculations using numbers, it had the potential to perform more tasks as well.