The logo you see on Google today is a bar code! The homepage of Google in USA and many other countries have this logo. Why did they do this? On this day in 1952 the first patent for the bar code was issued. Google wanted to recognize this so they replaced their whole logo with the bar code.

iPhone users can try decoding the Google logo by downloading a bar code scanner iPhone application (I believe there is one called Cardify). Android users can use the Barcode Scanner application to decode the logo. I went to DataSymbol.com, and used it to decode the bar code logo online. Of course, it was decoded as “Google“! For you geeks out there, the Bar code uses Code 128 encoding.

The Google homepage of many other Google homepages also has the bar code logo! Below is a list of Google homepages that have this logo, and their translation for the word “bar code”. Have a scan-tastic day everyone!

• Bar code (USA)
• Strichcode (Germany)
• streepjescode (Belgium)
• código de barras (Chile)
• stregkode (Denmark)
• viivakoodi (Finland)
• code-barres (France)
• codice a barre (Italy)
• kod kreskowy (Poland)
• cod de bare (Romania)
• čiarový kód (Slovakia)
• streckkod (Sweden)
• Barkod (Turkey)
• штрих-код (Ukraine)
• الشفرة الخيطية باركود (United Arab Emirates)

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