Past Exhibits

THE BABBAGE DIFFERENCE ENGINE NO. 2

On Exhibit May 2008−January 2016

A 150-year old computer? From 1847 to 1849, Charles Babbage designed “Difference Engine No. 2,” an automatic computing engine, but failed to build it. He died insisting future generations would prove his idea was sound. In 1991, the engine was faithfully built to plan and functioned exactly as predicted.

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