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Charles Babbage may have spent his life in vain, trying to make a machine considered by most of his friends to be ridiculous. 150 years ago, Babbage drew hundreds of drawings projecting the fundamentals on which today's computers are founded. But the technology was not there to meet his dreams. He was born on December 26, 1791, in Totnes, Devonshire, England. As a child he was always interested about the mechanics of everything and in the supernatural. He …

…for the rest of the duke's life. Babbage was also granted more money. He continued work on the project for many years. In old age, Babbage agreed, at the age of 71, to have the completed section of his Difference Engine shown to the public for the first time. Babbage's many disappointments led him to say that he never lived a happy day in his life. Babbage died in 1871, two months shy of his 80th birthday.