 Conceptualised in 1932, development on the barcode began in 1948, with a patent being applied for in 1949 and issued in 1952. On June 26, 1974, the first product with a barcode was scanned at a check-out counter: a ten-pack of Wrigley's Juicy Fruit chewing gum. |
The pack of gum wasn't specially designed to be the first scanned product ... it just happened to be the first item lifted from the cart by a shopper whose name has been long since lost to history. Today, the pack of gum is on display at the Smithsonian Institute and the little stripey rectangle it bears is now applied to almost every item manufactured on the planet. NS² |
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