Spreadsheet Day is a holiday observed annually on October 17th, celebrating spreadsheets and their value to businesses worldwide.

Although the concept of a spreadsheet program for computers has been around since the 1960s, it wasn’t widely used until the late 1970s when the VisiCalc program was written for the Apple II computer.

Since then, spreadsheet software has become an essential part of any organization that needs to keep track of its finances. It is for this reason alone that this holiday should be given a place on any professional’s calendar of events.

The History of Spreadsheet Day

The first spreadsheet program, VisiCalc, was released in October 1979 for the Apple II computer. This marked the Apple II computer’s transition from being merely a toy for electronic enthusiasts into a powerful computing tool for business.

With the release of this program, homeowners and small business owners could have the same powerful software accounting power that multinational corporations had. In 1979, the holiday Spreadsheet Day was created to celebrate the power of spreadsheet programs and the effect they have had on businesses small and large all over the world.

Facts About Spreadsheets

Since we presume that everyone observing this holiday is looking for some fine spreadsheet facts, we thought we’d take a few moments to explore some of the ones that we know. We’re sure the following list of facts will be quite informative for anyone looking for additional information on this subject.

• VisiCalc was released on October 17th, 1979. This is when this holiday was first celebrated.
• Believe it or not, there is a World Excel Championship.
• IT professionals have concluded that approximately 88% of all spreadsheets contain at least one error.
• Before the invention of computers, spreadsheets were handwritten either in ledgers or on ruled sheets called Analysis Paper.

Observing Spreadsheet Day

We’re not sure that there are any official ceremonies or celebrations that a person is required to perform on Spreadsheet Day. We think that people should probably just take the time to learn more about spreadsheets and how to use them to maximize their home and business budgets. People can also spread the word about this holiday online using the hashtag #SpreadsheetDay to encourage others to observe this holiday.