Employees Operating an Early IBM 360 Punch Card Data Storage System.

Employees Operating an Early IBM 360 Punch Card Data Storage System.

Employees operating an early IBM 360 computer w/ a 2020 processing unit. This is a punch card data storage system. Also included in the system were IBM card punches, IBM card sorters and card files. It was one of the earliest icons of the Information Age: a simple punched card produced by IBM, commonly known as “the IBM card.” The card itself was unassuming, a thin piece of stiff cardboard measuring 7⅜ inches by 3¼ inches comprising 80 columns, 12 rows and a series of tiny rectangular holes. But for almost half a century, IBM cards held most of the world’s stored data.

The punched card preceded floppy disks, magnetic tape and the hard drives of later computers as the first automated information storage device, increasing efficiency and speed, and significantly lowering the risk of human error involved in recordkeeping by hand. The punched card provided a significant profit stream for IBM and helped propel the company to the forefront of data processing. https://www.ibm.com/history/punched-card