I’ve always felt sorry for people who are born on 29 February. I mean, it’s hardly fair on the present front at the very least. But there’s one man I feel particularly sorry for, given that as well as being born on that day, he’s also the much unsung hero of the IT world.

Herman Hollerith was born on 29 February 1860. He was a German-American statisician who created the forerunner to the computing systems we use every day without a second thought.

His mechanical punch card-based tabulator was an absolute treasure in its time. Using his system he was able to speedily tabulate stats from millions of pieces of data – where would our modern-day transactional machines be without this man’s invention, eh?

According to Wikipedia, he was awarded a patent (no 385,782 to be precise) for his work. It read:

“The herein-described method of compiling statistics, which consists in recording separate statistical items pertaining to the individual by holes or combinations of holes punched in sheets of electrically non-conducting material, and bearing a specific relation to each other and to a standard, and then counting or tallying such statistical items separately or in combination by means of mechanical counters operated by electro-magnets the circuits through which are controlled by the perforated sheets, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.”

It would be an understatement to say that Hollerith’s invention was marvelous. His work for the Census office, for example, ensured that the 1890 Census could be completed in just one year, compared to the eight years that the previous Census (in 1880) took.

Fueled with that success, Hollerith branched out on his own and created the Tabulating Machine Company. His tech was leased by major census creators and insurers around the globe.

Several evolutionary changes occurred to his system over time, including the invention of an automatic card feeder and a keyboard-operated punch mechanism.

In 1906 he also dabbled in a bit of early programming by creating a wiring panel for his Type I Tabulator to ensure the same model could handle a varied array of jobs.

In 1911, a merger occurred with three other businesses, resulting in a giant called Computing Tabulating Recording Corporation (CTR). Not familiar with the name? Perhaps the name IBM rings more bells. For that’s the name the company has been known under since 1924 when it was renamed by then president Thomas Watson.

Whatever anyone thinks of Big Blue these days, good or bad, Mr Hollerith, we salute you sir.