Charles Babbage—The Analytical Engine (cont.)

This may have seemed like a crackpot idea, but Babbage actually took the idea of the punched card from a very successful type of loom that had first appeared in Europe in the early 1800s. The so-called Jacquard Loom (there are still "jacquard sweaters" today) was not driven by human weavers deciding which threads to incorporate into the weave; rather, it was designed to react to a sequence of punched cards. If a hole was present, then a certain thread would be permitted in the weave; if the hole was not present, that thread was kept out. This technology revolutionized weaving in Europe, putting many traditional weavers out of work.

Interestingly, the term Luddite, which is now used to described someone who dislikes technology, comes from this era. A band of traditional English weavers protested the use of this new machinery and, in some cases, even sabotaged the new looms. (A pretty gutsy move, since, in those days, such an action could cost you your life!) These weavers gave themselves the code name "the Luddites," after Ned Ludd, a clumsy weaver character from folklore. This made for a scornful joke: when asked, "Who broke the looms?" they replied something like, "Oh, must have been clumsy old Ned Ludd."

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These pages were written by Steven H. VanderLeest and Jeffrey Nyhoff and edited by Nancy Zylstra
©2005 Calvin College, All Rights Reserved

If you encounter technical errors, contact rit@calvin.edu.