Charles Babbage: The Pioneer Of The Computer Charles Babbage, the British mathematician and inventor, was born December 26, 1791 in Teignmouth, Devonshire UK. He was the son of a Tory banker - Benjamin (Old Five Percent) Babbage. He designed and built mechanical computing machines on principles that anticipated the modern electronic computer. In the 1820s Babbage began developing his Difference engine, a mechanical device to perform simple mathematical calculations, specifically intended for the production of tables. In the 1830s Babbage began developing his Analytical engine, which was designed to carry out more complicated calcu