The analytical engine, an important step in the
history of computers, was the design of a mechanical general-purpose
computer by the British professor of mathematics
Charles Babbage. It was first described in
1837, but Babbage continued to work on the design until his death in
1871. Because of financial, political, and legal issues, the engine was never actually built. In its logical design the machine was essentially modern, anticipating the first completed general-purpose computers by about 100 years.
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