Historic chewing gum.

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It was on this day, thirty years ago, in 1974, that a lucky package of Juicy Fruit chewing gum made history. From an informative page devoted to the history of bar codes we learn that a 10-pack of Juicy Fruit became the first item to ever be passed through a bar code reader at a check-out counter of a supermarket. The place: a Marsh's market in Troy, Ohio. And why a package of chewing gum? Apparently for no reason other than luck. The name of the person who bought the gum has apparently been forgotten, but not the gum. From that page we learn that it has been honored by a display at the Smithsonian Institution.

Of course that's just a tip of the iceberg date, though one that has been duly commemorated. Much research and development went into designing what is now a wholly ubiquitous part of our shopping experience. Other important stepping stones toward the final marketing of the product can be found here.

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Go to: Confessions of a conservative technology freak.