When is National Inventors' Day?
National Inventors' Day 2027 is on Thursday
Thursday, February 11, 2027
February 11 every year, Thomas Edison's birthday. That's in 117 days.
until National Inventors' Day begins, in your time zone
National Inventors' Day honors the people whose inventions and patents drive progress in science, industry and everyday life. Congress designated it for Thomas Edison's birthday in 1983, and it has been marked on that date since.
About National Inventors' Day
National Inventors' Day recognizes inventors, from famous names to the engineers, tinkerers and students whose ideas never make headlines. It is a natural day for classrooms, museums, libraries and patent offices to talk about how inventions happen, how the patent system works and how a new idea becomes a useful product.
The day began with an act of Congress. Senate Joint Resolution 140, approved on June 21, 1982, as Public Law 97-198, designated February 11, 1983, as National Inventors' Day and asked the president to issue a proclamation. President Ronald Reagan did so on January 12, 1983, in Proclamation 5013. His proclamation pointed to the first US patent law of 1790 as the start of the country's shift from importing technology to leading in it, and described inventors as the keystone of technological progress.
February 11 was chosen because it is the birthday of Thomas Alva Edison, born in Milan, Ohio, in 1847. Edison, best known for the phonograph and a practical incandescent light bulb, accumulated 1,093 US patents, according to MIT's Lemelson Center for invention education. The 1982 resolution covered 1983 only, but the date stuck: federal agencies such as the US Census Bureau and many schools and museums continue to mark the day each February 11.
It is not a federal holiday. It shares its date with the UN's International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
Sources: US Government Publishing Office: Public Law 97-198 (96 Stat. 120), Ronald Reagan Presidential Library: Proclamation 5013, National Inventors' Day, 1983, US Census Bureau: National Inventors' Day, February 11, 2024, Lemelson Center, MIT: Thomas Edison. How we check dates.
How to mark National Inventors' Day
- Pick an everyday object, such as a zipper, a can opener or a smoke detector, and look up who invented it and when it was patented.
- Search the free patent databases of the US Patent and Trademark Office or Google Patents for an invention from your hometown.
- Give children a simple design challenge, such as building a paper bridge or a marble run from recycled materials.
- Visit a science center, history museum or historic site connected to an inventor near you.
- Learn about inventors whose work was long overlooked, including women and inventors of color, and share one story with others.
National Inventors' Day dates
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Tuesday, February 11, 2025 |
| 2026 | Wednesday, February 11, 2026 |
| 2027 | Thursday, February 11, 2027 |
| 2028 | Friday, February 11, 2028 |
| 2029 | Sunday, February 11, 2029 |
| 2030 | Monday, February 11, 2030 |
| 2031 | Tuesday, February 11, 2031 |
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Frequently asked questions
When is National Inventors' Day 2027?
National Inventors' Day 2027 is on Thursday, February 11, 2027. It falls on February 11 every year, Thomas Edison's birthday. In 2028, it is on Friday, February 11, 2028.
Why is National Inventors' Day on February 11?
It is Thomas Edison's birthday. Edison was born on February 11, 1847, and Congress picked the date when it designated the first National Inventors' Day for 1983.
Who created National Inventors' Day?
Congress created it through Public Law 97-198 in 1982, and President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the first observance in Proclamation 5013 in January 1983.
Is National Inventors' Day a public holiday?
No. National Inventors' Day is an observance, not a public holiday, so schools, banks, government offices and most businesses keep their normal hours.