Johann Helfrich von Müller
Johann Helfrich von Müller was an engineer in the Hessian army who conceived the difference engine in 1786, an idea that later evolved into modern computers. In 1784, he was responsible for an improved adding machine based on principles of Leibniz's stepped reckoner.
Müller was demonstrably the first who came up with the idea of calculating mathematical tables automatically by a machine. To achieve this, he planned building a printing differential engine. However, this plan was not realized.
