The UPC, the most common version of the so-called bar code, wasn't as warmly embraced or as breathtaking as some emerging technologies, but its impact on retailing has been enormous.

Excel creates most commonly used barcodes, either from free installed fonts, or add-ins for a price. Here's how.

While the barcode didn’t herald the end times, as conspiracy theorists once fretted, it did usher in a new age in global commerce.