WW II Computer Punch Cards

[Brian Keith]

Here is an interesting “Home Front” item. Until I got these at an auction in 1991, I didn’t realize they used these during WW II.

While these cards are not used anymore (at least I don’t think so), when my brothers were attending Purdue University in the mid-to late 1970’s. They were still using these punch type cards.

These are International Business Machines (IBM), computer punch cards are the “Employee’s Statement of Earnings”. The civilian employee, David M. Armour, worked at the Army Air Forces Material Command at Wright Field, Dayton, OH, Now, Wright-Patterson AFB. While he worked at Wright, his son was a Dr. in the Army serving with the 69th Division. I have quite a few things of his son’s (uniforms, misc., some souvenirs including an Axis parachute) purchased at the same auction.

 

[Bob Hudson]

Into the 70's the most common job in the computer industry was keypunch operator, the people - almost always women - who entered the data (punched the holes) on the cards.

 

Punched cards date back to about 1810 when a French inventor named Jacquard used them to control weaving looms. They were used in the 1890 US census for some data collection. In 1911 two companies using punch cards merged to create the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company. We now know it as IBM.

 

Here's an article about their use by the US Army beginning at the start of WWII: http://www.pattonhq.com/ibm.html

[Brian Keith]

Interesting link.

Thanks,

BKW