Unofficial history of databases, from tally sticks to passports

Humans have managed to store information in different formats to avoid memory fallibility. However, keeping track of life, events, and transactions perpetuates a schism between haves and have-nots.

Repositories of knowledge, whether in books or registries, shape human life and preserve our collective memory. Today, databases also support digital money (using peer-to-peer ledgers) and entertainment, among other things. They also dictate people’s prospects from birth.

There are many important analog databases in the world, some of which are ancient. …