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The birth of punched paper tape Paper tape with rows of five, seven or eight holes across will still be a familiar concept to those of a certain age who used computers in the 1970s. I believe this technology started out as a means for preparing messages and "playing" them onto the cable in undersea telegraphy. Initially there were just two holes across the tape - one for a dot and the other for a dash. |
| This example from an 1893 brochure shows the code: |
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| A hole at the "top" is a dot and the bottom a dash. There is a space
between each letter and two between words. This technology dates back to 1850. The types of transmitters used to relay these tapes onto the cable are shown at this link. |
