Hollerith, a former employee of the Census Bureau, had the idea of building a tabulating machine.

ECONOMIST: Millennium issue

When it came to choosing a tabulating machine for the 1890 census, Hollerith's design was one of three contenders.

ECONOMIST: Millennium issue

This success enabled Hollerith to expand his Tabulating Machine Company into overseas markets.

ECONOMIST: Millennium issue

British Tabulating Machine Company has plans for building a really small model.

ECONOMIST: The business world

When a card was inserted into the tabulating machine, the counters would be updated accordingly, and the appropriate drawer in the sorting machine would open.

ECONOMIST: Millennium issue

At the same time, he switched from a paper strip to punched cards. (Making the cards the same size as dollar bills meant that existing storage cabinets could be used.) By clever wiring of the tabulating machine, it was possible to count the number of cards with particular combinations of attributes.

ECONOMIST: Millennium issue