February 11
- National Make a Friend Day
- National Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk Day
- National White Shirt Day
- National Shut-In Visitation Day
- National Peppermint Patty Day
- National Inventors’ Day
- National Clean Out Your Computer Day – Second Monday in February
NATIONAL INVENTORS’ DAY
Inventors and their genius are honored February 11th.
What do Ermal Fraze, Thomas Adams, Melitta Bentz and Stephen Perry all have in common? They are recognized annually on February 11, along with the likes of the Wright brothers, Thomas Edison, George Washington Carver and Elisha Otis on National Inventors’ Day.
Thanks to inventors we can safely ride in an elevator, have a well-lit room at the flip of a switch, speak to someone on the other side of the world or efficiently pump lotion from a bottle. Many inventors go their whole life without recognition for their creation while others are household names. Nearly everything around us is the result of someone tinkering in their garage, laboratory or basement trying to find a solution to a problem.
Some inventions may be happy accidents by an observant person; the microwave oven, penicillin, sticky notes and bubble wrap may never have made their way into their current use if it were not for sharp or persistent inventors.
“Necessity is the mother of invention.”
The proverb “Necessity is the mother of invention” says a lot about how inventors look at life. They are a progressive, forward-thinking bunch. Where would we be without pacemakers, traffic signals, rubber bands or coffee filters?
Though there are some inventions that we may be better off without. A DVD rewinder doesn’t quite fit the necessary criteria. Or, they are otherwise too impractical. For example, tugging around a stroller fridge for your watermelon along with the cooler and beach umbrella seems to be a bit of overkill, but without inventors, the world would be downright dull and much more challenging.
Inventors should keep track of their ideas, processes, ingredients, and components. Protect your inventions and get your unique creations patented.
HOW TO OBSERVE
Inventors around the country, take a bow. Keep tinkering. Keep seeking a cure, a fix, and improvements to our everyday life. Take time to recognize an inventor and encourage them to keep creating the next great invention.
Use #NationalInventorsDay to share on social media.
Educators, visit the National Day Calendar Classroom for a lesson designed for National Inventors’ Day.
HISTORY
In 1983 President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the first National Inventors’ Day and takes place every year on Thomas Edison’s birthday.
