Thursday, April 18 — World Amateur Radio Day (WARD) — marks the 94th anniversary of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU), founded in Paris in 1925. Each year, WARD celebrates “Amateur Radio’s Contribution to Society.” The occasion is being celebrated with on-the-air activities around the globe.

“April 18 is the day for all of Amateur Radio to celebrate and tell the world about the science we can help teach, the community service we can provide, and the fun we have,” IARU President Tim Ellam, VE6SH, said. “I encourage all radio amateurs to join in the celebrations and promote Amateur Radio on the air or in your community.”

Amateur Radio experimenters were the first to discover that the shortwave spectrum was not the wasteland that experts of the day considered it to be but a resource that could support worldwide propagation. In the rush to use these shorter wavelengths, Amateur Radio was “in grave danger of being pushed aside,” the IARU’s history notes. Amateur Radio pioneers met in Paris in 1925 and created the IARU to support Amateur Radio around the globe, and that effort continues to this day.