You are using an outdated browser. Some features may not work correctly, and your experience will not be good. Update your browser

A Brief History of Computing: from Babbage and Lovelace to the smartphone and the World Wide Web.

Mark Kleinman


Regions:
East of England, London, Surrey, Kent
Notice Period:
Regular (more than one month's notice)
Fee:
Expensed: Standard Class rail travel or equivalent
Category:
Science
Updated:
30th June 2026

A non-technical introduction to how computers have changed the modern world. Starting with Charles Babbage's dream of efficient and error-free calculation, I set out how computers have become steadily cheaper, faster and smaller in response to ever-increasing human needs, desires and creativity. Along the way we see how wars, code-breaking, tea and biscuits and games have all played roles in fuelling this astonishing growth

Views: 7 | Enquiries: 0

About Mark Kleinman

I am a writer, speaker and researcher, based in Cambridge and London. As a Museum Ambassador and Tour Guide at the Brunel Museum in Rotherhithe, London I tell the story of the Thames Tunnel, the first tunnel under a river anywhere in the world and the stories of its creators, Marc Isambard Brunel and his son Isambard Kingdom Brunel. I am also a Discover Volunteer at the Imperial War Museum Duxford and a Visitor Experience Volunteer at the Centre for Computing History in Cambridge.

Previously I have held a number of UK academic posts, including at the University of Cambridge, the London School of Economics and King’s College London, as well as visiting appointments at the University of Toronto and the University of New South Wales. I have written four books and more than 100 published papers, and I have given many talks and presentations across the UK, and in Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, China and Japan.


Send a message to the speaker

If you are interested in this talk and wish to contact the speaker, please complete the following form:

 
Please provide your contact name
 
Please provide the name of your group
 
Your phone number so that the speaker can contact you
 
Your email address so that the speaker can contact you
 
Give details about the event, time of day and location
Prove you are human please.
Use the slider to drag the puzzle so that the top and bottom are aligned , or use an alternate text based challenge by clicking here.
Question: Is water wet?
 

Site Search

Search across all speakers, topics and tags. Put your search term in the box and press enter or hit search

Use quotes around exact multiple word searches, eg "winston churchill".