First Beep! 50 Years of Barcodes Began in the Miami Valley
Can you believe it? 50 years ago, every grocery item lacked a barcode! Today, June 26th, marks a golden anniversary for this unassuming technology—and it all began at a grocery store in Troy.
50 Years of Barcode History—and it all started in Troy, OH
Photo credit: Dayton History
Imagine a world where every grocery item lacked a barcode, and cashiers had to manually price every item... that was the reality just 50 years ago! Today, June 26th marks a golden anniversary for the unassuming barcode, a technology that revolutionized the way we shop and transformed the economy.
On that day in 1974, history was made at a grocery store right here in the Miami Valley. A pack of Wrigley's Juicy Fruit gum became the very first item to be scanned using a Universal Product Code (UPC) at the checkout of Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio.
At the time, National Cash Register, which provided the checkout equipment, was based in Dayton. NCR provided the cutting-edge NCR 255 computerized checkout system, featuring a laser scanner and a computerized cash register.
If you're curious about this pioneering technology, you can actually see the NCR 255 yourself. It's on display at the Carillon Historical Park in Dayton, alongside other Dayton inventions that forever changed the world.
So next time you hear that familiar beep, remember the Miami Valley's role in this technological marvel.
