I recently read an article commemorating the anniversary of the first commercial bar code usage. Did you know that the first item that was scanned using bar code technology was a 10 pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit gum? This historic event took place June 26, 1974 at Marsh’s Supermarket in Troy, OH. For those of us in the Auto ID industry this was a pretty significant event. 
This same article goes on to state that today over 1,000,000 companies in more than 100 different countries utilize bar code technology for some type of tracking and/or controlling application. I would agree with those numbers – in fact, I would estimate the number of companies employing bar codes is well over 1,000,000. Our own customer database represents all different kinds of companies, schools, hospitals, governmental institutions, manufacturers, service providers, and the list goes on and on. The benefits of using bar code technology are universal and stretch beyond the confinements of any one particular industry. New uses for bar code technology are still being discovered every day. And now with the combination of RFID labels and bar code the applications are almost limitless!
So, although I missed the anniversary this year I will go ahead and mark it on my calendar for next year to commemorate as the bar code turns 36. Who would have thought that a simple pack of gum could have such a lasting impact? Just in case you wanted to know what happened to the historic pack of gum - it is on display at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History.
