He got the Charles Babbage anecdote wrong. There was a need for reliable computers at the time. At that time, computers were people. Creating navigational char

He got the Charles Babbage anecdote wrong. There was a need for reliable computers at the time. At that time, computers were people. Creating navigational charts was the application. Human error propagated and it was a big problem at the time. That is how he got funding. I also take exception to the claim it was never built, as that is not entirely true either. For anyone interested, I recommend the 1990 book by Doron Swade. It is excellent. I stumbled across the difference engine at the science museum in London while I was reading that book! I didn't realize the author was from there until after the fact. What a lovely coincidence. Such a fascinating device, the difference engine will always have a special place in my mind.