In Line for Cash  
In Line for Cash
Why is a PIN number four digits long?

When John Shepherd-Barron and his team came up with their version of the automated teller machine, Shepherd-Barron told his wife he thought there should be a six-digit number to identify bank customers. His wife said it would be much easier for people to remember four digits than six, and that became the standard for PIN numbers. It was on this date in 1967 that the first ATM handed out cash to Reg Varney, a customer of the Barclays Bank in North London's Enfield. Shepherd-Barron, who received the OBE for his role as "the inventor of the automatic cash dispenser," said that his inspiration was the snack vending machine. He thought that if chocolate bars could be dispersed through a machine, it must be possible to disperse money in a similar way.

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From our Archives: Today's Highlights, June 27, 2010

ATM

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Automated [automatic] teller machine.

ATM or atm is an abbreviation which may refer to:

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