Know the role of a wife behind your 4-digit ATM password

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: You probably do ATM transaction everyday. You must have used the ATM personal identification number (PIN) number several hundred times too.

But have you ever wondered why your ATM password or PIN number is only 4 digit?

Even email services and social media sites stress upon having a long password with alpha numerical character so that it is protected. However, an ATM PIN has just four numbers.

There is a very interesting reason behind this. The story goes something like this. Shepherd-Barron, inventor of the ATM, came up with six-figure number in the 1960s.

But he decided to consult with his wife Caroline. But his wife could only remember four digits, and hence it became the most commonly used length in many places. However banks in Switzerland and many other countries require a six-digit PIN .