A day for the underappreciated calculator!

Today, celebrates a device that quietly transformed everyday life. Calculator Day 電卓の日 is on March 20th annually. It honors the moment in 1974 when Japan's annual calculator production surpassed 10 million units. It was a milestone that signaled both global demand and the strength of Japanese engineering.

The 1974 anniversary also an anniversary in itself, marking ten years since the first domestically produced calculator in Japan, released in 1964. The current day anniversary, "Calculator Day", was created by the Japan Business Machine and Information System Industries Association. Early models were expensive and heavy, but within a decade they had become compact and affordable. Today, there are different type of calculators, such as pocket calculators, scientific calculators and desktop calculators.

Despite having calculators on our smartphones, calculators still have a place in society. Particularly scientific calculators, which are widely used in schools and even in industry. Although I am one for doing sums in my head, between six of us we have a handful of calculators in the house! They are quick and convenient and distraction-free.