On This Day

Bar Code Turns 40 Today

The first unique sticker of white and black lines facilitated the purchase of a 10-pack of Juicy Fruit gum, from Chicago-based Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. The bar code was scanned at 8:01 a.m. on June 26, 1974 at a Marsh supermarket in Troy, Ohio. The vertical lined code was invented by George Laurer, an IBM engineer.