There’s an Interesting Reason Behind it
Operational since 1967, Automated Teller Machines (ATM) have been around for almost 50 years now and it is safe to say that they are one of the most convenient inventions ever!
On June 27, 1967 the world's first ATM was installed in a branch of Barclays in Enfield, north London.
The machines are now installed all over the world in countless cities & towns, making it super convenient for all of us who carry around debit or credit cards. A simple swipe and you can withdraw money anywhere, anytime.
But if someone was to find or steal your card, the only barrier protecting your money is your 4-digit ATM PIN.
Ever wondered why most PINs have only 4 digits? Wouldn’t it be wiser if the PIN was longer so that no one else could guess it? Isn’t that why our email passwords are also expected to be 6 letters or more?
Well, Scottish inventor John Adrian Shepherd-Barron, the man who pioneered the development of the ATM machine, had also proposed a 6-digit PIN.
The idea of the 6-digit PIN had to be rejected because of Scot’s wife Caroline. Funnily enough, the longest string of numbers that she could remember was four.
Mr Shepherd-Barron came up with the idea when he realised that he could remember his six-figure army number. But he decided to check that with his wife, Caroline.
"Over the kitchen table, she said she could only remember four figures, so because of her, four figures became the world standard," he laughs.
Although, there are few banks that do offer 6 digit PINs for security purposes, shouldn’t those of us using 4 digit PINs be thanking the woman? It gets tough to recall those 4 digits at times, imagine what 6 or more would do to us?