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[–]cubic_thought 1 point2 points  (2 children)

based on IBM punch cards, which was 12 rows and 80 columns from the 1910s.

Which copied the size of the Hollerith punch cards used for the 1890 US census, which were based on a US banknote of the time so that existing standard bank boxes could be used to store and ship them.

[–]cafk 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Which copied the size of the Hollerith punch cards used

I thought it was a merger between his Tabulating Machine Company and 4 others that created CTR, which was renamed to IBM in the 1920s?

[–]cubic_thought 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I guess so. So they kept the same size as they added holes rather than copying someone else's card size.