Historical contribution
What Hollerith contributed
For the 1890 United States census, data were punched into cards, sensed through electrical contacts and accumulated by tabulating machinery. Later systems added sorting, printing and more flexible business processing.
Why it mattered
Hollerith’s system made large administrative datasets more manageable and helped establish punched cards as a durable medium for machine-readable records.
Connected topics
Where this fits in ITEM
Evidence
Sources and further reading
- Hollerith Machine
United States Census Bureau
- From Herman Hollerith to IBM
Smithsonian
- Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company and IBM
IBM
- Punched cards for Babbage's Analytical Engine
Science Museum Group
- Rise of the Machines
Smithsonian Libraries