Analytical Engine

The general plan of Mr. Babbage’s Great Calculating Engine. Arrangement and rack, details, et cetera (The Babbage Papers), England, 1840.
Courtesy of Science Museum London

Inspired by Jacquard’s mechanical loom, Babbage developed a calculating machine. The “Analytical Engine” is one of the original forms of the computer. Babbage was supported by Lady Ada Lovelace, a mathematician and probably the first female programmer ever.