The bar code was
invented by two guys from the
Drexel Institute of Technology in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
USA. In
1948, graduate students Bernard Silver and Norman Joseph Woodland looked into a method of retrieving information during
checkout at a
cash register. At
first, the two tried using
ultraviolet-sensitive ink that could be read by, you guessed it, an ultraviolet light. However, this method was too
expensive at the time and was therefore scrapped.
Back to the drawing board! Finally in
October of 1949, the
patent was filed for what has
now become known as the barcode. Their invention was described as
"article classification...through the medium of identifying patterns" (i.e. the different sizes of bars). It was not until 1966 that the barcode system was implemented commercially. Unfortunately, there were no universal standards in place for barcodes at that time. Therefore, the UGPIC, or
Universal
Grocery
Product
Identification
Code was established as a standard. This
later led to the adoption of the UPC (
Universal
Product
Code), which is still in use by the
United States today.
note to self: must get a life. I am writing about barcodes for cripes sake! :O