National Kid Inventors' Day

Kid Inventors' day was created several years ago by people who wanted to celebrate the achievements of the youngest inventors as well as encourage more children to be creative.

The date chosen to celebrate this day, January 17th, was no accident—it is the anniversary of renowned polymath, politician and child inventor Benjamin Franklin's birthday. Due to his countless other achievements, many people don't know that when Franklin was just 12 years old, he invented the world's first swim flippers, making him a great role model for every child who dreams of making something nobody has ever seen before. Over the centuries, other children have invented many other things we continue to use today, such as popsicles (a very tasty accident!), the trampoline and ear muffs. Perhaps one of the most impressive things invented by a child is the language of the blind now used the world over, Braille. Louis Braille, its inventor, lost his vision in a tragic accident at age 3 and spent his early teen years developing his new language while studying at The National Institute for Blind Youth in Paris. Almost 200 years later, American teen Ryan Patterson also improved the lives of the disabled when he invented a glove with special sensors that translates the hand motions of American Sign Language into written words on a digital display.