Google’s Bar Code: 57th Anniversary of Barcode

Once in a while Google changes the logo on their homepage, this often happens to celebrate a holiday, a birthday of an important figure from history, or in this latest case an invention that has made an impact on our lives. Today is the 57th Anniversary of the Barcode, the first patent on the bar code was back on 7 October 1952.

When we go into our local store to purchase anything from groceries to consumer electronics, the assistant at the till will scan the bar code at the checkouts. These have not only made our life easier, but also sales assistants as well, as they no longer have to price each individual item.

Barcodes were first used to label railroad cars; they did not become a commercial success until they were used in supermarket checkouts, which made the system more automated. Other systems have tried to take the place of the Barcode, but the simplicity of the Bar Code and its low cost makes it still the preferred choice.

For more information on Barcode, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barcode