Behind these simple stripes we take for granted lies a rich story of invention.

On any given day, you probably pass by tens – if not hundreds – of barcodes. They beep and blink at the supermarket checkout, at the airport gates, and even in hospitals or libraries. These black-and-white lines are ubiquitous, unobtrusive, and quietly indispensable. And that is exactly the point.

Barcodes have become so mundane that we take them for granted. But this dull utility hides a story of technological innovation, economics, and – as it so often happens – a bit of serendipity. This week at the HLFF Blog, Andrei Mihai writes about the history of the barcode. Check out the article here: HLFF Blog

Image caption: Illustration of a UPC/EAN barcode, with guard bars highlighted in green and one digit highlighted in cyan and expanded to show individual bars. Image via Wikipedia (CC BY 3.0)

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