The greatest contraption that never was - John Graham-Cumming episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 5, 2026 · 16 MIN

The greatest contraption that never was - John Graham-Cumming

from TED-Ed · host TED-Ed

Computer science began in the '30s ... the 1830s. John Graham-Cumming tells the story of Charles Babbage's mechanical, steam-powered "analytical engine" and how Ada Lovelace, mathematician and daughter of Lord Byron, saw beyond its simple computational abilities to imagine the future of computers. (Filmed at TEDxImperialCollege.)Talk by John Graham-Cumming. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Aug 5, 2026

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The greatest contraption that never was - John Graham-Cumming

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