Today marks the 41st anniversary of the first scanning of a product barcode of the UPC (Universal Product Code) type.
On June 26, 1974, with an NCR test system, Sharon Buckchanan sold the world’s first item by scanning a barcode, a packet of gum.
The receipt from the sale and the chewing gum themselves are on display in the Smithsonian Research Institute Museum.
Scanning technology is entering our daily lives to such an extent that it is currently difficult to find a product without a barcode on the packaging.
