Eight-bit machines (with octets as the native data type) that did not use parity checking typically set the eighth bit to 0.
ˈeɪtbˈɪt məʃˈiːnz wɪð ɑːktˈɛts æz ðə nˈeɪɾɪv dˈeɪɾə tˈaɪp ðæt dɪdnˌɑːt jˈuːz pˈæɹᵻɾi tʃˈɛkɪŋ tˈɪpɪkli sˈɛt ðɪ ˈeɪtθ bˈɪt tə zˈiəɹoʊ.