The weaving industry would seem to have little in
common with the computer industry, but the idea that information could
be stored by punching holes on a card was to be of great use in the later
development of computers.
| Jacquard's Loom and the Punch Card | |
| In 1819, Joseph Jacquard,
a French weaver, made a revolutionary discovery. He realized that the weaving
instructions for his looms could be stored on cards with holes punched
in them. As the cards moved throughout the loom in sequence, needles passed
through the holes and picked up threads of the correct color and texture.
By rearranging the cards, a weaver could change the pattern being woven
without stopping the machine to change threads.
The weaving industry would seem to have little in
common with the computer industry, but the idea that information could
be stored by punching holes on a card was to be of great use in the later
development of computers.
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| Jacquard's Loom |