Bar Code Day

Bar Code Day

Bar Code Day celebrates the first day an official bar code, a UPC or Universal Product Code, was scanned on June 26, 1974. It happened in Troy Ohio at Marsh Supermarket and it was a ceremonial event that is worthy of a daily holiday celebration! 

All About Bar Codes

From their humble beginnings as a way to speed up the checkout process at grocery stores, to becoming a ubiquitous part of our lives, bar codes have come a long way. Let's take a closer look at the history of these handy little devices.

The first bar code was invented in the early 1900s by a man named Woodland and his partner, Savage. They came up with the idea while working at a grocery store. They realized that if they could find a way to encode information about products using a series of bars and spaces, it would be much easier and faster to scan items at the checkout.

They patented their invention in 1952, and the first bar code scanner was installed in a grocery store in 1974. Since then, bar codes have become an essential part of our lives. We use them every day, whether we're buying groceries, checking out at the library, or even boarding an airplane.

Bar codes have come a long way since their inception, and they continue to evolve. Who knows what the future holds for these handy little devices? One thing is for sure: bar codes are here to stay.

Celebrate Bar Code day by scanning a barcode on a product in your home or office and share what comes up! Happy Bar Code Day!