Open folio of diplomas awarded to Charles Babbage, 19th century.

Open folio of diplomas awarded to Charles Babbage (1791-1871). The diploma visible was awarded to Babbage in 1828 by the Accademia dei Lincei, an Italian institution, in recognition of his contribution to science. Babbage (1792-1871), a pioneer of computing, was also a reformer, mathematician, philosopher, inventor and political economist. His Analytical Engine of 1834 was the first calculating engine designed along modern lines, and it is for this that Babbage is considered to be the 'father' of computing.