December 1837
Charles Babbage publishes a paper describing the Analytical Engine

In December 1837, Charles Babbage published a paper, "On the Mathematical Powers of the Calculating Engine", describing a mechanical computer that is now known as the Analytical Engine.

The Analytical Engine is generally considered to be the first computer.

The design consists of four main components, each of which are analagous to the essential pieces of modern computers:

1. The mill, or calculating unit. Equivalent to the CPU in a modern computer.
2. The store, which held data for processing. Equivalent to memory in a modern computer.
3. The reader, or input device. Equivalent to the keyboard in a modern computer.
4. The printer, or output device. Equivalent to the display in a modern computer.

Related information:

• 'On the mathematical powers of the Calculating Engine', catalogue details for Babbage's original manuscript in the History of Science Museum, Oxford

Image:

• Babbage's Analytical Engine, 1834-1871. (Trial model).
  Credit: Science Museum Group, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Licence

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