How Herman Hollerith Counted America and the World
By Ainissa Ramirez
In the late 1800s, the inventor designed a revolutionary punch-card tabulating system, a key moment in the development of modern computing.
This Article From Issue
November-December 2023
Volume 111, Number 6
Page 346
In 1879, 19-year-old Herman Hollerith aimed to make a name for himself and wash off the stain of New York City poverty. His father had died when he was about 10. The tragedy not only shook his family to the core, but it also forced them to leave the comfort of their tight-knit enclave of German relatives in Buffalo, New York. It was there that his mother began making one-of-a-kind bonnets for sophisticated ladies. But after she was widowed, she became a full-time milliner. She moved her family to New York City, where she could reach more customers.
QUICK TAKE
- The 1880 U.S. Census took seven years to complete. Seeing this glacial pace, a young, ambitious Herman Hollerith working at the Census Office began brainstorming solutions.
- Hollerith’s tabulating system used punch cards run through an electrical machine that compiled the data. A rough count for the 1890 Census was completed in six weeks.
- Hollerith’s tabulators were used to compile all sorts of data around the world for several decades. His company eventually merged with others to form IBM.
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