Did You Mark the Bar Code's 60th?

Bar code 60th anniversaryAs anniversarys go, a 60th isn't something to sneeze at. And last week marked the 60th Anniversary of the date of patent creation for the bar code.

According to this infographic from Wasp Barcode, Norman Joseph Woodland applied for a patent in 1949, for his "Classifying Apparatus and Method." But the actual bar code patent wasn't granted until the fall of 1952.

And it wasn't until 1974, that the first modern UPC was logged in a grocery store checkout using a bar code scanning system. Here are a few more things you might not know.

(Image courtesy of Wasp Barcode.)

Did you know?

  • The first bar code had only four lines.
  • Some early bar codes were round.
  • In the science industry, researchers have mounted tiny bar codes on bees to track mating habits.
  • The United States Army uses two-foot wide bar codes to keep track of boats in storage at West Point.

What other interesting facts about bar codes should people know about? Leave a comment below.