I'd go with Charles Babbage. Even though he was unable to complete his Analytical Engine, it did embody the concepts necessary for general-purpose computing. According to the linked Wikipage: "It would have been the first mechanical device to be, in principle, Turing-complete."
I'd also consider Blaise Pascal, inventor of the Pascaline calculator. I'd also consider Hipparchus of Nicaea, the probable inventor of the Astrolabe -- a special-purpose analog computing device.
I'd also credit the many people who worked as "computers", i.e., people who were paid to perform arithmetic calculations manually or on mechanical calculators. According to legend, John von Neumann (who is also a worthy nominee for this poll) was inspired to co-invent the automatic computer by watching a roomful of human "computers" doing the job manually, each passing results on adding machine tape to their neighbors.
I'd go with Charles Babbage. Even though he was unable to complete his Analytical Engine, it did embody the concepts necessary for general-purpose computing. According to the linked Wikipage: "It would have been the first mechanical device to be, in principle, Turing-complete."
I'd also consider Blaise Pascal, inventor of the Pascaline calculator. I'd also consider Hipparchus of Nicaea, the probable inventor of the Astrolabe -- a special-purpose analog computing device.
I'd also credit the many people who worked as "computers", i.e., people who were paid to perform arithmetic calculations manually or on mechanical calculators. According to legend, John von Neumann (who is also a worthy nominee for this poll) was inspired to co-invent the automatic computer by watching a roomful of human "computers" doing the job manually, each passing results on adding machine tape to their neighbors.
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