Introduction
1.1 Pre-PC Development
One of the first occurrences of computer technology occurred in the USA in the 1880s. It was due to the American Constitution demanding that a survey is undertaken every 10 years. As the population in the USA increased, it took an increasing amount of time to produce the statistics. By the 1880s, it looked likely that the 1880 survey would not be complete until 1890. To overcome this, Herman Hollerith (who worked for the Government) devised a machine which accepted punch cards with information on them. These cards allowed a current to pass through a hole when there was a hole present.
Hollerith’s electromechanical machine was extremely successful and used in the 1890 and 1900 Censuses. He even founded the company ...
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