National Inventors Day is a holiday that’s observed annually on February 11th every year and pays homage to inventors of the present and the past. If it weren’t for the ingenuity of all the inventors who have come before us, we wouldn’t have the modern, technological society that we currently enjoy.

Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Eli Whitney, Henry Ford, Benjamin Franklin, and Nikola Tesla are just a few of the geniuses who have improved our lives. Now, all of us can celebrate these great minds by observing this holiday with friends and family members.

The History of National Inventors Day

You would think that with all the great minds that have come and gone over the years, someone would have invented a day honoring inventors a long time ago, but that’s not the case. This holiday wasn’t established until 1983.

This is when U.S. President Ronald Reagan decided that the first National Inventors Day should fall on February 11th every year. Why this date? It’s because this is the date that Thomas Edison was born in 1847.

Fun Facts About Inventors and Inventions

We think the title of this section says it all, so let’s take a look at some of the fun facts we’ve learned about inventors and inventions.

• Paul Brown invented the inverted ketchup bottle, and it earned him $13 million.
• The inventor of petroleum jelly, Robert Chesebrough, ate a spoonful of it every day.
• The inventor of the .zip format, Phillip Walter Katz, died of acute pancreatic bleeding caused by alcoholism.

Observing National Inventors Day

This holiday is first observed by taking a few moments out of the day to honor the inventors of the past. It doesn’t matter who the inventor was or what they invented; all that matters is that you give them the respect they deserve.

Once that’s done, you might want to take a few moments to learn more about your favorite inventors or even take some time to try to invent something yourself. While doing your inventor research, be sure to use the hashtag #NationalInventorsDay to spread the word about this holiday.