Charles Babbage Charles Babbage Charles Babbage (; 26 December 1791 – 18 October 1871) was an English polymath. A mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer, Babbage originated the concept of a digital programmable computer. Considered by some to be a "father of the computer", Babbage is credited with inventing the first mechanical computer that eventually led to more complex electronic designs, though all the essential ideas of modern computers are to be found in Babbage's analytical engine. His varied work in other fields has led him to be described as "pre-eminent" among the many polymaths of his century. Parts of Babbage's incomplete
William Robinson (inventor) Automatic Electric and Electrically Controlled Fluid Pressure Signal Systems for Railroads" (1906). Robinson was a Fellow of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, and an esteemed member of the Signal Section of the American Railway Association. Robinson died on January 2, 1921, in Brooklyn. William Robinson (inventor) William Robinson (1840–1921) was an American inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer and businessman. He invented the first track circuit used in railway signaling, a major development that improved railroad safety and efficiency. William Robinson was born in Ireland on November 22, 1840. He came to the United States as a boy and lived