Professor Flood explains the lives and work of the ‘Mother and Father of Computing’: http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/babbage-and-lovelace

The central figure of 19th-century computing was Charles Babbage (1791-1871), who may be said to have pioneered the modern computer age with his 'difference engines' and his 'analytical engine', although his influence on subsequent generations is hard to assess. Ada, Countess of Lovelace (1815-1852), daughter of Lord Byron and a close friend of Babbage, produced a perceptive commentary on the powers and potential of the analytical engine; this was essentially an introduction to what we now call programming.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/babbage-and-lovelace

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