National Lineman Appreciation Day is a holiday that’s celebrated annually on April 18th and honors the people who keep all of our power up and running. Linesmen are the front workers for any power generation company and they perform a variety of duties that keep power lines up and functioning the way they’re supposed to function. They are the people who keep modern society running like a top, so maybe all of us should use this day to show them the appreciation that they all deserve.
The History Of National Lineman Appreciation Day
This holiday can be traced back to April 10, 2013. This is when United States Senate Resolution 95 established the 18th of April as National Lineman Appreciation Day. This day was established then because the year before Hurricane had disrupted the power in 24 U.S states, toppling power lines and cause over $65 billion dollars in damages as well. After this natural disaster, linesmen all over the country worked hand-in-hand 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. This 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 decided to find out what kind of trivia we could uncover about lineworkers. We didn’t think that 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 a lot 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.
- Lineman 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 give tell a lineman thanks in person or on social media using the hashtag #NationalLinemanAppreciationDay, or they can spend some time learning about the job that these professionals do.
When is National Lineman Appreciation Day? |
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| This year (2023) | April 18 (Tuesday) |
| Next year (2024) | April 18 (Thursday) |
| Last year (2022) | April 18 (Monday) |