In 1994, bar codes were in widespread use in businesses around the world, but the Japanese car component company, Denso Wave, wanted something quicker.

So they asked one of their engineers, Masahiro Hara, to come up with a solution.

After playing his favourite board game, Go, he came back with an idea.

He designed a black and white square of data that was fast, practical, and could handle more than 200 times the information contained in a barcode.

It was called the Quick Response code, or QR for short. And today it’s used, in some form, by millions of us around the world every day.

Masahiro Hara tells Jane Wilkinson about his pride in his invention.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Photo: A QR code connecting to the Witness History episode about... QR codes! Credit: BBC)

Coronavirus and class struggle: Are relief measures socialist?