'We matched an older brother with his younger sister': The rocky 1960s origins of online dating

In 1966, the Tomorrow's World visited a party in New York organized by the electronic dating service Tact, or Technical Automated Compatibility Testing. About 2,000 singles were invited to Manhattan to try out this new method of matchmaking.

In 1788, a man using the name "AB" placed New York's first known personal ad in the Impartial Gazetteer, according to historian Francesca Beauman. He was looking for a woman "under 40, not deformed, and in possession of at least one thousand pounds." Describing himself as "a young gentleman of family and fortune, who has recently come to town," the ad was like the Tinder bio of its time. Whether AB received any replies to his ad is unknown. But nearly 200 years later, New York became the home of another new approach to dating—computer matchmaking.

Invented by Bob Ross (a computer programmer at IBM, not the painter) and accountant Lewis Altfest, Tact—Technical Automated Compatibility Testing—launched in New York 60 years ago, in 1965. Initially limited to the Upper East Side, it quickly expanded throughout the city, attracting thousands eager to be matched by computer. Each participant paid $5 (£2) and filled out a questionnaire, which was used to match people on three levels: socio-cultural factors, opinions and values, and psychological factors. The answers were entered into the computer, which then generated potential matches of the opposite gender. Same-sex dating was not available. "Tact is not a lonely-hearts club," Ross told the BBC's Tomorrow's World. "It's not a marriage brokerage service. It's a new, fun way to meet people." He noted it was open to "all fun-loving people between 18 and 45," adding, "People join Tact for various reasons. Some just want to meet new people and go on a lot of dates, while others are interested in forming more serious connections."

lasting relationship, and then there are people who just want to get married." The matchmaking questions were approved by psychologist Dr. Salvatore V. Didato, who believed there was "a great social need" for services like Tact. He criticized other services, saying, "They claim to match people on many variables, but they end up matching them only on age, sex, religion, and height, or something similar." The Tact questionnaire went further by including a series of statements that respondents had to agree or disagree with. The BBC report features responses from a typical customer: "I worry about my relationships with people – yes. I enjoy people who express affection freely – yes. Most of the time I act independently – no. I enjoy going to parties – yes."

While Tact was at the forefront of a new technological wave, it wasn't the first computer-aided dating service. The two inventors were inspired by Operation Match, which had started earlier that year by Harvard students—decades before some students at the same university would create another computer-powered way for people to connect: Facebook.