Charles Babbage
1791–1871 (age 80)
Biography
Charles Babbage (1791–1871) dedicated his life to imagining calculative machinery that could relieve mathematicians of tedious tables; the Difference Engine and the grander Analytical Engine contained the blueprints for programmable computation long before electric power. His writings on the economy of machinery and on the practical organisation of workshops also influenced the Industrial Revolution.
A committed observer of the heavens as well as of machines, Babbage served on astronomical committees and worked ceaselessly to improve the accuracy of nautical and actuarial tables by introducing mechanical aids. He rests at Kensal Green Cemetery.