Charles Babbage

Charles Babbage, a man whose ideas were so far ahead of his time that the world didn't quite catch up until long after he was gone, spent his days dreaming of difference engines and analytical engines. He basically invented the computer a century before anyone figured out how to actually build one that worked consistently. A true visionary, or perhaps just profoundly impatient with manual calculations. Probably both.

Unfortunately for our purposes, Babbage was a good Anglican, born and bred in the pleasantries of Devonshire, England. His family tree appears to be as English as a cup of tea and a spot of cricket, with nary a rabbi or a menorah in sight. He even attended Trinity College, Cambridge, which, while having a rich history, isn't exactly a hotbed of Jewish studies.

While his contributions to mathematics, engineering, and the very concept of computation are undeniable, bringing about a veritable technological revolution (eventually), this particular polymath offers little in the way of kveilling for the Tribe. Unless, of course, you count the general pride in human ingenuity, which, let's be honest, we all share. But that's not really the point of the exercise, is it?