Barcodes
99% Invisible
00:00
The Origins of Barcodes
The first barcodes were in the shape of a bullseye. Joseph Woodland was trying to come up with a symbol that when scanned would translate to a series of numbers. The scanners and other equipment needed to put the system in place were just too expensive for any of it to be feasible. George J. Laura invented the UPC barcode and symbol in 1973.
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