Operation Match was the first

computer dating Dating is a stage of romantic relationships in which two individuals engage in an activity together, most often with the intention of evaluating each other's suitability as a partner in a future intimate relationship. It falls into the categor ...

service in the United States, begun in 1965. The predecessor of this was created in London and was called St. James Computer Dating Service (later to become Com-Pat) started by

Joan Ball Joan Ball (born 1934) started the first computer dating service in England in 1964. Ball's computer dating service also pre-dated the earliest American computer dating services, like Operation Match at Harvard. Early life Joan Ball was born ...

in 1964. Users filled out a paper questionnaire that they mailed with a $3 fee. The questionnaire was geared to young college students seeking a date, not a marriage partner. Questions included "Do you believe in a God who answers prayer?" and "Is extensive sexual activity in preparation for marriage part of 'growing up?'" The questionnaires were transferred to

punched card A punched card (also punch card or punched-card) is a piece of stiff paper that holds digital data represented by the presence or absence of holes in predefined positions. Punched cards were once common in data processing applications or to di ...

s and processed on an

IBM 7090 The IBM 7090 is a second-generation transistorized version of the earlier IBM 709 vacuum tube mainframe computer that was designed for "large-scale scientific and technological applications". The 7090 is the fourth member of the IBM 700/7000 ser ...

computer at the

Avco Avco Corporation is a subsidiary of Textron which operates Textron Systems Corporation and Lycoming. History The Aviation Corporation was formed on March 2, 1929, to prevent a takeover of CAM-24 airmail service operator Embry-Riddle Compa ...

service bureau in Wilmington, Massachusetts. A week or two later, the user received an

IBM 1401 The IBM 1401 is a variable-wordlength decimal computer that was announced by IBM on October 5, 1959. The first member of the highly successful IBM 1400 series, it was aimed at replacing unit record equipment for processing data stored on pu ...

print out in the mail listing the names and telephone numbers of their matches. Operation Match was started by Harvard University undergraduate students Jeffrey C. Tarr, David L. Crump and Vaughan Morrill, with help from

Douglas H. Ginsburg Douglas Howard Ginsburg (born May 25, 1946) is an American jurist and academic who serves as a senior judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He was appointed to that court in October 1986 by President Ro ...

, then a student at Cornell University. Tarr, Crump and Ginsburg formed a company named Compatibility Research, Inc. and rolled out the service in several cities.

References

{{reflist History of human–computer interaction Online dating services of the United States 1965 establishments in the United States