Lovelace and Babbage First Computer hits LEGO Ideas threshold

Another day, another project makes the cut on the LEGO Ideas platform – this time Lovelace and Babbage: Build the first computer is the project to reach 10,000 supporters. It is great news for project creator Stewart Lamb Cromar, who has dedicated his creation to his late father, David Alexander Cromar, a mechanical engineer who inspired Stewart’s love of technology.

Stewart Lamb Cromar explains on the project page the not terribly well known subject matter:

Ada Lovelace (1815-1852) is widely credited as the first computer scientist and Charles Babbage (1791-1871) is best remembered for originating the concept of a programmable computer. Together they collaborated on Babbage’s early mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine. Whilst never fully built in their lifetime, Lovelace’s notes on the engine include what is recognised as the first algorithm intended to be carried out by a machine. Because of this, she is often regarded as the first computer programmer.