The Quirky History of the Barcode: A Brief Journey

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Few people think about barcodes on their shopping. In the 75 years since their invention, barcodes have saved lives, gone into space, and even sparked fears of the Antichrist.

Paul McEnroe insisted that supermarket staff needed lasers. Scanners at checkout and pistol-shaped laser guns would speed up lines. In 1969, he and his team at IBM envisioned scanning black-and-white markings on products. This solution became known as the barcode.

Before this, barcodes had never been used commercially. The idea had been brewing since a patent was filed on October 20, 1949. IBM engineers were eager to make barcodes a reality, dreaming of a future where shoppers would glide through checkout with laser scans. But IBM’s lawyers were concerned.

They worried about “laser suicide.” What if customers hurt their eyes with the scanners? McEnroe explained that the laser’s energy was minimal compared to a lightbulb. Eventually, he turned to Rhesus monkeys for testing. After proving the laser was safe for their eyes, the lawyers relented.

Thus, barcode scanning became standard in supermarkets across the US and eventually worldwide.

Interestingly, the lab that tested the lasers later sent McEnroe the monkeys. He humorously recalls finding a zoo in North Carolina to take them.

Image by OMAR SABRA for Unsplash

McEnroe’s team, including Joe Woodland, who had originally conceptualized barcodes, played a crucial role in developing the Universal Product Code (UPC). Woodland had first drawn lines in the sand to imagine the barcode concept. The IBM team then refined this idea into a rectangular pattern of vertical lines that uniquely identified any product. The grocery industry adopted the UPC in 1973, and the first item was scanned in 1974 at a Marsh Supermarket in Ohio.

As other barcode types emerged, the UPC paved the way for “2D barcodes” like QR codes, capable of encoding more information. Yet, the history of these black-and-white markings is more fascinating than it seems.

McEnroe’s early work involved scanning large maps for the CIA. This experience set the stage for his barcode project, aimed at speeding up checkout lines. The system had to read codes accurately, even at high speeds.

The IBM team adapted Woodland’s design, opting for vertical lines instead of relying on line thickness. This change meant that varying line widths wouldn’t affect scanning accuracy.

While the first barcode product was sold in 1974, it took five more years for barcodes to reach British supermarkets. The first item scanned there was a box of teabags.

However, the launch of UPC technology faced controversy. McEnroe recalls protests against removing price stamps from products. Some labor unions feared job losses, while others worried about price obfuscation.

Despite initial concerns, barcodes quickly gained acceptance. Still, a few viewed them as sinister. In 2023, Professor Jordan Frith found a 1975 article suggesting that barcodes could be the “Mark of the Beast” from the Bible. This theory suggested that barcodes would eventually be tattooed on people for shopping.

The idea stuck. A 1982 book popularized the notion that the number 666 was hidden in barcodes. In reality, the “guard lines” in barcodes are reference points for scanners. Laurer, an IBM co-inventor, dismissed the idea as coincidence.

Image by Curated Lifestyle for Unsplash

Yet, some still avoid barcodes. Members of an orthodox Russian group, the Old Believers, consider them the “stamp of the Antichrist.” One Old Believer, Agafia Lykov, burns any items with barcodes. In 2014, a Russian dairy company even claimed that barcodes were the Mark of the Beast.

McEnroe finds these beliefs strange but acknowledges their existence. Frith adds that it’s odd to think grocery executives could lead to an apocalypse.

Barcodes do evoke a certain dystopian feeling. They symbolize cold capitalism and appear in unsettling film scenes. For example, in The Terminator, barcode markings identify prisoners of robots, echoing Nazi concentration camp tattoos.

While some misuse barcodes, particularly QR codes, most have become integral to various industries. An estimated 10 billion barcodes are scanned globally each day.

Barcodes track packages during shipping and monitor product inventories in giant stores. “You wouldn’t have superstores without barcodes,” Frith says. Their impact on retail is immense.

Barcodes even find use in hospitals, tracking blood samples and medical devices. The UK’s NHS Scan4Safety program highlights their benefits. By reducing administrative tasks, barcode scanning has saved millions and freed up staff for patient care.

Some innovative uses include tracking wildlife and logging astronaut food intake on the International Space Station.

Currently, there’s a push for retailers to adopt QR codes, which can store more information. However, traditional barcodes will likely remain prevalent for a long time. Their simple technology has transformed countless industries.

Despite their ubiquity, people rarely think about barcodes. “The biggest testament to their success,” Frith says, “is that we never think about them.”


Sara

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