1890 Census facts
While investigating facts about 1890 Census, I found out little known, but curios details like:
Punchcards were invented to solve the problem of the 1890 US Census. It took 8 years to process the data of the 1880 census, so Herman Hollerith invented punch cards for tabulation, ushering in the era of data storage, databases, and supercomputers.
During the 1890 census, Minneapolis and St. Paul kidnapped each other's census takers to keep either city from outgrowing the other.
In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across. Here are 11 of the best facts about 1890 Census I managed to collect.
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The Rivalry Between Minneapolis and St. Paul Became So Intense in 1890 that Each City was Kidnapping/Arresting One Another's Census Takers so Neither Would Outgrow The Other.
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In 1890 the Superintendent of the US Census Bureau declared the that the US Frontier no longer existed, as the population in Frontier territories now exceed 2 people per square mile.
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After the 1880 US census took 8 years to compile and publish, the slow process prompted Herman Hollerith to suggest a system of electromechanical tabulators to tally the numbers. With the use of mechincal computers, the count for the 1890 census was announced six weeks of processing.
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The 1890 U.S. Census was the first to ask respondents which race they identified with. The possible options were "White," "Black," "Mulatto," "Quadroon," "Octoroon," "Chinese," "Japanese," or "Indian."
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In 1890, census takers in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, MN were arrested and kidnapped by people from the other city, to prevent one city from appearing to be bigger than the other.
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Frederic Hoffman and Kelly Miller. Hoffman was an eminent statistician who worked for Prudential Insurance to justify denying life insurance to blacks. Miller was a black mathematician who showed the results were the result of a flaw in the 1890 Census.
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The 1890 US Census was the first census to be counted by machines, which were built by the predecessor of IBM.
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The 1890 United States Census even led to the two cities arresting and/or kidnapping each other's census takers, in an attempt to keep either city from outgrowing the other.
