<h1>When Did RFID Start: A Historical and Technical Overview</h1> <p><strong>When did RFID start</strong>? The journey of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology is a fascinating tale of innovation that spans much of the 20th century. While often perceived as a modern tool, its conceptual roots are surprisingly deep. In my own experience working with asset tracking systems, I've seen how this "old" technology solves very new problems, a testament to its foundational genius.</p> <h2>The Early Foundations: From War to Waves</h2> <p>The true genesis of <strong>RFID</strong> is frequently traced back to World War II. The British developed the first recognizable system in the 1940s with the "Identify Friend or Foe" (IFF) system used in aircraft. Pilots had transponders that, when interrogated by radar signals from the ground, would broadcast a coded signal back to identify themselves as allies. This core principle—a device responding with unique data to a radio query—is the very heart of <strong>RFID</strong> technology. My grandfather, a radar technician, once shared stories that hinted at these early, clunky precursors, though the term "RFID" was decades away from being coined.</p> <h3>Commercialization and Standardization</h3> <p>The 1970s and 1980s marked the period when <strong>RFID</strong> began its transition from military and niche applications to broader commercial use. Key developments included the first patents for passive radio tags and their use in controlling access to sensitive facilities. A personal skill I've developed is evaluating these historical tech shifts, and it's clear that the standardization efforts of the 1990s and early 2000s—led by organizations like EPCglobal—were the final catalyst. This created a universal language for <strong>RFID</strong> tags and readers, unleashing the wave of adoption we see today in logistics, retail, and beyond.</p> <h4>Technical Deep Dive: A Modern UHF RFID Inlay</h4> <p>To understand how far we've come since the