Barcode's Morse Code Origins

A story about how barcodes were invented but took decades to find their perfect use case.

"The barcode was invented by two guys - Norman Woodland and Bernard Silver. They were inspired by Morse code, realizing it was just dots and dashes. They thought 'could we create another visual system like that?'

They created a system that initially looked like a circle with thin and thick lines, allowing them to create an infinite number of unique tags. They patented it but couldn't find a good use case. They tried using it to track train containers, which worked great at first, but failed because the trains would get dirty outside and ruin the barcodes.

Meanwhile, the laser gets invented in another part of the world. Then in the third part of the world, grocery stores were having a tough time tracking inventory and processing checkouts manually. In 1974, they created the Ad Hoc Committee for the Uniform Grocery Product Identification Code. They discovered the barcode technology, combined it with lasers, and changed the shape from a circle to the rectangular shape we know today.

The first barcode ever scanned was a pack of Wrigley's gum in 1974. It instantly knew the price and deducted the stock level by one. Retailers demanded manufacturers add barcodes to their products if they wanted shelf space. This led to the creation of GS1, a nonprofit that issues and manages barcodes, which now generates $81 million in revenue annually from selling these simple lines."