NATIONAL SWAP IDEAS DAY
National Swap Ideas Day, which is observed annually on September 10th, encourages us to share a creative or helpful idea with someone and trade them for their thoughts in return.
Swapping ideas today does not have to be done on a one-on-one basis. Often, groups of people with similar interests gather with a common goal in mind. The meetings are usually a social gathering. However, on occasion, groups with different skill sets, design talents, and ideas gather. They bounce sketches, eureka moments off each other, and suddenly a new idea develops.
This observance urges sharing concepts and sparking ideas. Many of us are passionate about our careers, hobbies, or special projects. However, sometimes, we require the additional magic that happens when a community of people joins forces to bring a plan to fruition. Maybe it’s only a suggestion of an idea, but when it’s paired with another, a bigger and more tangible impression evolves. Swapping ideas does that.
Not only that, but groups of people benefit from the skills of others. And the energy of brainstorming compounds the efforts of the entire team. Often an idea shared by one person generates two or even three new concepts within the group, creating opportunities for everyone.
HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalSwapIdeasDay
Throughout the day, make sure to swap your ideas with others. Swap at work, organizations, clubs. Generate ideas that lead to solutions or new products. Perhaps one of your ideas will inspire a new technology or a genre of fiction. Some ways to get started include:
- Host a brainstorming session at work. Whether it’s to create a new product, solve an issue, or an advertising campaign, bring your brightest together and let the inspiration flow.
- Invite your creative friends to join you in a video chat. Ask a question that generates new ideas. For example, “What are your biggest roadblocks to creativity?” Questions like these create opportunities to help others in your organization or club.
- Develop a group using an online platform to connect people across the country and around the world. No matter the area of interest, these groups troubleshoot, educate and bring those with common interests together.
- Seek more ways to share your ideas and questions. Sometimes, we need a fresh perspective to spur us into new and exciting directions.
- Revisit previous successes. They may offer insight that will allow you to share even more big ideas.
Don’t forget to use #NationalSwapIdeasDay when sharing your inspirations.
NATIONAL SWAP IDEAS DAY HISTORY
Our research has found that Robert Birch created National Swap Ideas Day. Mr. Birch also created Lumpy Rug Day, Trivia Day, and Nothing Day.
Swap Ideas FAQ
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September 10th Celebrated (And Not So Celebrated) History
1846
Elias Howe receives the first lockstitch sewing machine patent in the United States. Patent No. 4,750 describes a machine designed to sew fabric together in an upright position. He even went to court to defend his patent when others swooped in and used his designs in their sewing machines.
1953
Swanson introduces the first TV Dinner. The revolutionary creation brings dinner from the dining room to TV trays in the living room.
1960
Running barefoot, Abebe Bikila claims the gold medal in the marathon at the Rome Olympics. His achievement marked the first Sub-Saharan African to win the prize. In the weeks following the Olympics, Bikila is promoted to corporal in Emperor Haile Selassie’s imperial bodyguard.
1984
Jeopardy! airs its first episode in its daily syndicated version. The popular trivia television game show draws between 9 and 13 million viewers weekly and those numbers continue to grow.
1990
The Ellis Island Immigration Museum opens to the public at the original location. Nearly half of all Americans can trace their ancestry to immigrants who passed through the facility’s doors.
2016
On this day, more American football fans attended a football game than ever before. The University of Tennessee Volunteers and the Virginia Tech Hokies matched up before a crowd of 130,045 at the Bristol Motor Speedway. During the record breaking attendance, the University of Tennessee Volunteers won 45-24.
2019
Margaret Atwood publishes The Testaments. The novel is a sequel to Atwood’s 1985 dystopian novel, The Handmaid’s Tale.
September 10th Celebrated (And Not So Celebrated) Birthdays
Alice Brown Davis – 1852
In 1919, President Warren G. Harding appointed Alice Brown Davis as the first woman chief of the Seminole Tribe. She served in this role for 16 years until her death in 1935.
Laura Cornelius Kellogg – 1880
The Oneida leader wrote Our Democracy and the American Indian. She was also a social advocate, orator, and author who founded the Society of American Indians.
Dorothy Hill – 1907
Another woman of firsts, Dorothy Hill pursued a career in geology and paleontology. Early in her career, she earned many first titles. The University of Queensland honored her a Gold Medal for outstanding student, the first woman to receive it. Hill would also become the first president of the International Association for the study of Fossil Cnidaria and Porifera. She was the first woman to hold the role of professor at an Australian university and also the first woman elected as president of the Australian Academy of Science.
Arnold Palmer – 1929
The professional golfer collected 92 championship wins during his career. He’s a favorite of sports enthusiasts around the world. And the beverage that combines tea and lemonade is named after him.
Rin Tin Tin – 1918
The charismatic German Shepherd starred in several films in the 1920s. Along with his sister, Nannette, Rin Tin Tin was rescued by an American soldier during World War I.
Charles Kuralt – 1934
Best known for his “On The Road” segments with The CBS Evening News, Kuralt’s popular segment spanned 13 years and all 50 states. Before creating the beloved “On the Road,” Kuralt was CBS’s youngest news correspondent.
Roger Maris – 1934
The successful professional baseball player set the Major League Baseball record for single-season home runs. In 1961 he hit 61 home runs.
Mary Oliver – 1935
The prolific and inspiring poet earned the National Book award and the Pulitzer Prize. Her poetry featured the natural world, but she also flittered with emotion.
Colin Firth – 1960
The British actor is best known for his roles in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Bridget Jones’s Diary, and The King’s Speech, for which he earned an Oscar for Best Actor.
