Herman Hollerith Poem

Herman Hollerith Poem

My name is Herman Hollerith,
And I was born in Buffalo, in the state of New York.
I went to Columbia University,
Where I became an engineer,
And got my first career.

I was tired of my job,
So I left that cob.
And went to the U.S. Census Bureau,
To lend a helping in their crew.

I didn't know what happened,
But I saw a conductor punching tickets,
Going, "Wicket, wicket, wicket!"
And thought to myself, "What if I could make data statistics?"

I was inspired by the invention of Joseph-Marie Jacquard,
From when J.S. Billings suggested me so.
With this invention in mind,
I made my plans unwind.

If I could make a tabulating machine,
People would feel serene.
For taking the census was slow,
And too many years to blow.
My tabulator would make inputting data easier,
With much more leisure.

I was granted a patent,
A government endowment.
To make a machine,
That would make the Census Office convene.
But it was not till 1890,
When I made my big debut.
People giving me claps,
And shouting, "Woo-hoo!"
I increased categories for the 1890 Census,
Such as marital status and the name of your address.

Because of my improvements,
I found the Tabulating Machine Company,
And later renamed the IBM Corp.,
To make it short.

Now you know a little bit about me,
Appreciate what I did for us you see.