Charles Babbage is known as the "father of the computer" for his pioneering work in designing the first mechanical computer, known as the Analytical Engine. Babbage's vision of a programmable machine laid the groundwork for modern computing. He conceptualized key components such as an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), control flow, and memory, which are fundamental to contemporary computers. Although Babbage never completed his machine during his lifetime, his groundbreaking ideas and designs significantly influenced later generations of computer scientists and engineers.