Date:         Thu, 30 Dec 2010 13:52:00 +0000
Reply-To:     "Fehd, Ronald J. (CDC/OCOO/ITSO)" <rjf2@CDC.GOV>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         "Fehd, Ronald J. (CDC/OCOO/ITSO)" <rjf2@CDC.GOV>
Subject:      Re: Fun With SAS - My Vote for Oddest SAS Programming Language
              "Feature"
In-Reply-To:  <84F9B92BB0EA45A6B73D6E6862DE12C8@D1871RB1>
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> From: Nat Wooding
> Subject: RE: Fun With SAS - My Vote for Oddest SAS Programming Language
> "Feature"
>
> A site with some interesting history that may amuse the infants is
>
> http://www.pattonhq.com/ibm.html
>
> which tells of the use of "computer cards" during WW2 and how the US
> Army
> used rather primitive equipment to keep track of who was where and just
> how alive they were.

punched cards were first used to control looms

http://www.computermuseum.li/Testpage/Jacquard-Punched-Card-Loom.htm

I am fairly sure the Chinese had done this with bamboo cards for their silk looms.
I remember seeing such a loom at the 2002 Smithsonian FokLife Festival in the past decade.
... yes, that would have been the year of the Silk Road exhibit.

Ron Fehd  the early technology maven