First Barcode Scanned: Retail Revolution Begins in Ohio
A cashier at Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio, scanned a ten-pack of Wrigley's Juicy Fruit gum, completing the first-ever retail transaction using the Universal Product Code. The barcode system that skeptics had dismissed as an expensive gimmick went on to eliminate manual price entry, revolutionize inventory management, and become the invisible infrastructure of global commerce.
June 26, 1974
52 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on June 26
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