Innovation stems from the minds of individuals who recognize a need and strive to develop a new way to fill it. One such innovation was the difference engine, an automatic mechanical calculator ...

As you might expect from its name, the "Difference Engine" is a strangely difficult object to describe. You might start by imagining the side of a large crib with uprights ringed by small metal wheels ...

The Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Calif., willl unveil a recreation of Charles Babbages 19th century mechanical digital calculator, the Difference Engine No. 2. Starting in May, many will ...