The ATM Machine of John Shepherd-Barron

As is often the case with inventions, many inventors contribute to the history of an invention, as is the case with the ATM. Read each page of this article to learn about the many inventors behind the automatic teller machine or ATM.

John Shepherd-Barron

According to BBC News, the world's first ATM was installed in a branch of Barclays in Enfield, North London. John Shepherd-Barron, who worked for the printing firm De La Rue was the chief inventor. At that time plastic atm cards did not exist. John Shepherd-Barron's atm machine took checks that were impregnated with carbon 14, a slightly radioactive substance.

The atm machine would detect the carbon 14 mark and match it against a pin number.

In a Barclays press release, the bank states that comedy actor Reg Varney, star of TV sitcom On the Buses, became the first person in the country to use a cash machine at Barclays Enfield on June 27th 1967. The idea of a personal identification number (PIN) was thought up by John Shepherd Barron and refined by his wife Caroline, who changed John’s six digit number to four as it was easier to remember.

John Shepherd-Barron

John Shepherd-Barron invented and installed an ATM in a Barclay's Bank in London in 1967.