What was the Hollerith code?

The Hollerith Code is a code for relating alphanumeric characters to holes in a punched card. It was devised by Herman Hollerith in 1888 and enabled the letters of the alphabet and the digits 0–9 to be encoded by a combination of punches in 12 rows of a card.

Hollerith invented the first automatic card-feed mechanism and the first keypunch. The 1890 Tabulator was hardwired to operate on 1890 Census cards. A control panel in his 1906 Type I Tabulator simplified rewiring for different jobs. The 1920s removable control panel supported prewiring and near instant job changing. These inventions were among the foundations of the data processing industry and Hollerith's punched cards (later used for computer input/output) continued in use for almost a century.

In 1911 four corporations, including Hollerith's firm, were amalgamated to form a fifth company, the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR). Under the presidency of Thomas J. Watson, CTR was renamed International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) in 1924. By 1933 The Tabulating Machine Company name had disappeared as subsidiary companies were subsumed by IBM.

By the 1950's the Hollerith Code was widely used on IBM cards by both private enterprise and the U.S. government. Data Processing Machines and early computers used to compute and manipulate data entered on these cards could fill a room; yet, in many cases, had less computing power than an I-Phone!

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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13 Comments

Richard Elliott

When I started as a computer programmer we were using punch cards and paper tape to input all our programmes and data (I always use the English spelling of programme even if the spell checker flags it. I also spell disc with a"c")

earlepg

This one brought out the computer operators of days past. I never worked with punch cards but when I earned my MBA in 1969-1971, I took several classes in compuers and programming, and of course during those days those cards were the thing.

dan chesters

Grant McIntosh, Ditto !

Steve Tingle

Another old programmer who started with punched cards and even did a couple of contracts at IBM in Portsmouth, ended my working life using the latest PCs. Now have several computers of various sizes at home most of which have more power than the mainframes I started on.

Linda Bode

Knew it straight away as a trained punch card machine operator. I worked with Powers Samas machines graduating to Tabulators,

Grant McIntosh

Richard Elliott, Likewise.....and likewise with the correct spelling (UK) of words.

Grant McIntosh

I worked for IBM for 37 years. Used to be a great company but ended up treating staff as objects, like most large multi nationals.

skrueger

I had to punch a lot of cards for my computer programs in the 1970's and you learned very quickly not to drop that deck of punch cards. You would never get them back in order unless you had remembered to number them.