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The standard punched card, originally invented by Herman Hollerith, was first used for vital statistics tabulation by the New York City Board of Health and several states. After this trial use, punched cards were adopted for use in the 1890 census... Hollerith wasn't working in a vacuum! His idea for using punched cards for data processing came after he'd seen the punched cards used to control Jacquard looms. Jacquard, working in France around 1810, originated the idea of using holes punched in cardstock to control the pattern a loom weaves. Many Jacquard looms remain in use to this day, and you can occasionally find strings of Jaquard cards for sale. Read More... |