Inventors' Day is a day of the year set aside by a

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...

to recognise the contributions of inventors. Not all countries recognise Inventors' Day. Those countries which do recognise an Inventors' Day do so with varying degrees of emphasis and on different days of the year.

By location

Argentina

The Inventors' Day ( es, Día del Inventor) in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

has been celebrated since 1986 and is held yearly on 29 September, the birthday of the inventor of the

ballpoint pen A ballpoint pen, also known as a biro (British English), ball pen (Hong Kong, Indian and Philippine English), or dot pen (Nepali) is a pen that dispenses ink (usually in paste form) over a metal ball at its point, i.e. over a "ball point". ...

, László József Bíró.

Austria, Germany and Switzerland

The Inventors' Day (german: Tag der Erfinder) in the German-speaking countries

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

and Switzerland is celebrated on 9 November, the birthday of the Austrian-born inventor and Hollywood actress

Hedy Lamarr Hedy Lamarr (; born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler; November 9, 1914 January 19, 2000) was an Austrian-born American film actress and inventor. A film star during Hollywood's golden age, Lamarr has been described as one of the greatest movie actress ...

whose main invention was the frequency-hopped spread spectrum 1942. The day was proclaimed by

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

inventors and

entrepreneurs Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values t ...

Gerhard Muthenthaler and Marijan Jordan. According to the website of the organisation it intends to pursue the following goals: * Encourage people towards their own ideas and for a change to the better * Remind people of forgotten inventors

Brazil

The Inventors' Day (

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

: Dia do Inventor) in Brazil is celebrated on 4 November.

Hungary

''Hungarian Inventors' Day'' ( Magyar Feltalálók Napja) is celebrated on 13 June in memoriam of

Albert Szent-Györgyi Albert Imre Szent-Györgyi de Nagyrápolt ( hu, nagyrápolti Szent-Györgyi Albert Imre; September 16, 1893 – October 22, 1986) was a Hungarian biochemist who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1937. He is credited with fi ...

who registered his national patent about the synthesized

Vitamin C Vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid and ascorbate) is a water-soluble vitamin found in citrus and other fruits and vegetables, also sold as a dietary supplement and as a topical 'serum' ingredient to treat melasma (dark pigment spots) ...

in 1941. It is celebrated by the Association of Hungarian Inventors (MAFE) since 2009.

Moldova

Since 1995, the

Republic of Moldova A republic () is a " state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th ...

has celebrated an Inventors' and Rationalizers' Day annually at the end of June.

Russia

Since 1957,

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

has celebrated an Inventors' and Rationalizers' Day (russian: День изобретателя и рационализатора) annually at the last Saturday of June.

Thailand

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

recognises 2 February as Inventors' Day each year. The Thai Cabinet set this date to commemorate the anniversary of His Majesty King

Bhumibol Adulyadej Bhumibol Adulyadej ( th, ภูมิพลอดุลยเดช; ; ; (Sanskrit: ''bhūmi·bala atulya·teja'' - "might of the land, unparalleled brilliance"); 5 December 192713 October 2016), conferred with the title King Bhumibol the Great ...

’s allocation of a patent for a ''slow speed surface aerator'' on 2 February 1993.

United Kingdom

While as of yet, the United Kingdom does not officially recognize an Inventor's Day, in 2014 BT made a public appeal to celebrate "the first" National Inventor's Day on 2 December 2014. While many countries celebrate inventiveness on a significant day relating to one of that country's inventors, 2 December does not appear to have such a relationship. However, the day was also the release of a study by BT of the inventiveness of UK residents. As of 9 November 2016 there has not been any announcement of a second or subsequent National Inventor's Day in the United Kingdom.

United States

Ronald Reagan as

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

proclaimed 11 February 1983 as National Inventors' Day
Proclamation 5013
to "...call upon the people of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities". In recognition of the enormous contribution inventors make to the nation and the world, the

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

, pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 140 (Public Law 97 – 198), has designated 11 February, the anniversary of the birth of the inventor

Thomas Alva Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventi ...

, who held over 1,000

patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A ...

s, as National Inventors' Day.

References

{{Reflist, 30em Inventors February observances June observances September observances November observances Types of secular holidays