Category Archives: Censuses
First U.S. Census and the Census of Occupations
Today in 1790 Congress passed the Census Act of 1790 and President George Washington signed the law, which authorized the collection of population data by U.S. Marshals. Although the act included the specific inquiries marshals asked at each home they visited, they did not … Continue reading
#HowDoWeKnow: History of the U.S. Census
The U.S. Census Bureau: Measuring America’s People, Places & Economy Through the Decades
Posted in Censuses, Infographics
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Genealogists Drown the 1940 Census
I blogged before (see A Calculating People, February 23, 2012) about the release yesterday of the 1940 census records. Today, the Web site of the National Archives and Records Administration displays an apology for the difficulties people had in accessing the web site, … Continue reading
Posted in Censuses, Social Networks
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The First U.S. Census
Today in 1790 Congress passed the Census Act of 1790 and President George Washington signed the law, which authorized the collection of population data by U.S. Marshals. Although the act included the specific inquiries marshals asked at each home they visited, they … Continue reading
Posted in Censuses, This day in information
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A Calculating People
Congress assigned responsibility for the 1790 census to the marshals of the U.S. judicial districts under an act that, with minor modifications and extensions, governed census-taking through 1840. On April 2, 2012, the National Archives and Records Administration will make individual records … Continue reading
Posted in Censuses
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Facts and Good Government
Today in 1790, the first enumeration of the 1790 U.S. Census began. Congress assigned responsibility for the 1790 census to the marshals of the U.S. judicial districts under an act that, with minor modifications and extensions, governed census-taking through 1840.
Posted in Censuses, This day in information
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The Birth of Big Data
The Economist on IBM’s celebration of its 100th birthday tomorrow: “Official history notwithstanding, the company’s true age is 125. In 1886 Herman Hollerith, a statistician, started a business to rent out the tabulating machines he had originally invented for America’s … Continue reading
Posted in Big Data, Censuses, Computer history
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New York vs. The Census Bureau, 2011 and 1891
Today, the U.S. Census Bureau delivered “New York’s 2010 Census population totals, including first look at race and hispanic origin data for legislative redistricting.”
Posted in Censuses, Statistics
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The Story of Information 