Mathematician Charles Babbage was born near Teignmouth in Devonshire and educated at Cambridge University (B.A. 1814, M.S. 1817). While still a student, Babbage and his friends Herschel and Peacock produced translations and expansions of continental works on calculus which served to spark a mathematical revival in England. As early as 1812, he was developing the idea of calculating mathematical tables using machinery, an enterprise that occupied most of his life. By 1822 he had constructed several prototypes, and received a government grant to pursue his research. Financial and personal disputes brought this work to a halt in 1828, but during the hiatus which followed, Babbage designed an even more sophisticated, flexible machine, 'programmed' by punch cards, with six orders of differences, and printing capacity. Though his concept was acknowledged to be brilliant and workable, Babbage never raised enough money to build the machine.

James Augustus Babcock was born on May 16, 1831, in New Haven, Connecticut. However, he spent most of his life in New York City where he was in the silver-plating business. His company, J. A. Babcock & Co., was located at 22 John Street and was renowned for manufacturing plated ware. The firm was established in 1861 and traded for many years, but eventually closed in 1894. Knickerbocker Mfg. Co. succeeded the brand. Babcock's hallmark was a "B" within a templar Cross, usually with text indicating that the product was quadruple plated. He used two other marks less frequently, which were the deer/fox head and a plain print of his name. The hallmark also included model numbers. Babcock's silver plate work remains collectible for its intricate Victorian aesthetic, which often depicted floral motifs in tea and coffee services.

In 1866, he married Ida Amelia Gates (1844–1911). He died in January 1912 in New York City, New York.

Boris Petrovich Babkin, Professor of Physiology at McGill University from 1928 to 1942, was a prominent figure in the field of physiological research, especially in the area of glandular secretion and the nervous system. Dr. Babkin was a pupil, assistant and life-long friend of Ivan F. Pavlov, of whom he wrote a biography in 1949. Dr. Babkin was born in Kursk, Russia in 1877. In 1901, he began post-graduate study in the History of Medicine at the Military-Medical Academy in St. Petersburg. Babkin had decided that clinical medicine as such held no interest for him, although the science of medicine itself had great attraction. For this reason, Babkin hoped to combine his study of medical history with actual experience in its clinical and experimental aspects. In this connection, be first entered the laboratory of Ivan Pavlov at the Institute of Experimental Medicine. Although Pavlov met Babkin’s avowed interest in medical history, which he considered purely academic, with rather vehement contempt, he nevertheless agreed to let the young Babkin join his laboratory. Babkin was thus initiated into the methods of physiological research in which his interest grew to such an extent that its study, with the time and discipline required, superseded his progress not only in the clinical aspects of medicine, but in medical history itself.

By 1902, Babkin had decided to become a physiologist. He received his M.D. from the Military-Medical Academy in 1904. He worked as an assistant in Pavlov’s laboratory until 1912, and remained a close friend throughout his life. The influence of this period was undoubtedly very great, and is clearly reflected in the research interests pursued by Babkin for the rest of his life.

In 1912, Babkin was appointed to the Chair of Animal Physiology at the Agricultural Institute of Novo Alexandria. In 1915, he went to the University of Odessa as Professor of Physiology. However, in 1922. Babkin was forced to leave Russia for political reasons. The details of this episode are obscure. Babkin went to London, where he worked for a time in the laboratory of Sir Ernest Starling. After emigrating to America, Babkin received an appointment as Professor of Physiology at Dalhousie University, Halifax, a position which he held until 1928 when he came to McGill. This inaugurated an active period of research and publishing, particularly on glandular secretions and the nervous system. Babkin was a Research Professor of Physiology at McGill University until 1946, and held the position of Department Chairman in 1940-1941. In addition, he was also a Research Fellow in Physiology from 1942 until 1947. After 1946, Babkin was associated with the Montreal Neurological Institute and simultaneously, was Research Fellow of Neurology at McGill. The year before his death in 1950, Dr. Babkin was awarded the Julius Friedenwald Medal for 1949 by the American Gastroenterological Association. Throughout his life, Dr. Babkin continued his experimental work and produced many scientific articles.

François Baby, a native of Montréal, was a politician and judge. He was educated at the College of St. Sulpice and at Joliette College. Called to the bar in 1857, he practised law in Montréal and Joliette. He represented Joliette, Québec, as a Conservative in the House of Commons from 1872 to 1880. He then became a judge of the Superior Court of Québec but transferred in 1881 to the Queen's Bench and retired in 1896. Baby was one of the founders of the Historical Society of Montreal and of the Canadian National League in 1893.