The invention of the computer is credited primarily to Charles Babbage, an English mathematician and inventor. He conceived the first automatic digital computer in the early 19th century. Babbage designed the Difference Engine starting in 1822, a mechanical device intended to compute polynomial functions automatically. Later, he developed plans for a more advanced machine called the Analytical Engine around 1834, which included concepts fundamental to modern computers such as programmable instructions via punched cards, an arithmetic logic unit, control flow with conditional branching and loops, and integrated memory. Although Babbage never completed building these machines due to technical and financial difficulties, his designs laid the groundwork for the modern computer

. Thus, Charles Babbage is widely regarded as the "father of the computer" for originating the concept and design of programmable mechanical computers well ahead of their time