Bar Code

The bar code, also referred to as a UPC (Universal Product Code), although that is just one type of bar code, was invented for inventory tracking purposes in stores.The bar code that is seen on so many products in stores of all kinds throughout the nation has its origins dating back to 1932 when a group of students at Harvard's School of Business Administration undertook a project that would make shopping by catalog easier for customers. All the customer had to do was removed a card from the catalog corresponding to the item they wanted to purchase, then hand that card to a clerk who placed the card into a mechanical reader.