National Lineman Appreciation Day is a holiday celebrated annually on April 18th that honors the people who keep our power up and running. Linemen are the frontline workers for any power generation company, and they perform a variety of duties that keep power lines functioning as they should. They are the people who keep modern society running smoothly, so perhaps all of us should use this day to show them the appreciation they deserve.

The History of National Lineman Appreciation Day

This holiday can be traced back to April 10, 2013. That is when the United States Senate Resolution 95 established April 18th as National Lineman Appreciation Day. The day was established because the year before, Hurricane Sandy had disrupted power in 24 U.S. states, toppling power lines and causing over $65 billion in damages. After this natural disaster, linemen across the country worked tirelessly to restore power in the U.S. This inspired the 113th U.S. Congress to pass a resolution that would be voted through and eventually approved by the U.S. Senate the following year. The holiday has been celebrated ever since.

Electrifying Facts About Lineworkers

We’re always on the lookout for amazing new facts to give our readers, so we decided to find out what kind of trivia we could uncover about lineworkers. We didn’t think we would find too many facts about this profession, so imagine our surprise when we actually did. Below are a handful of the facts we uncovered and ones that we think everyone can appreciate.

• The Lineworker profession actually began during the 1840s to work on telegraph lines.
• During the 1870s, lineworkers worked primarily on telephone lines.
• During the 1930s, many lineworkers had to travel from city to city to perform their duties.
• After WWII, the lineworker profession became much safer and more stable.
• In the United States, there are over 9 million miles of wire on 170 million wooden poles.
• In the U.S., there are approximately 236,000+ lineworkers working.
• It can take up to 7,000 hours of training to become a journeyman lineman.
• The average lineworker can spend over 1% of their time in the air working on lines.
• Linemen can carry up to 40 pounds of gear at a time while they’re working on lines.
• The average hourly pay for a lineman in the U.S. is $29.00 an hour.

How to Observe National Lineman Appreciation Day

There are several ways for a person to observe National Lineman Appreciation Day. They can thank a lineman in person or on social media using the hashtag #NationalLinemanAppreciationDay, or they can spend some time learning about the job that these professionals do.