International Day of Light
Next: May 16, 2027
The day the first laser shone.
The story
Where it comes from
On 16 May 1960, at Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu, California, the physicist Theodore Maiman and his assistant Irnee D'Haenens fired a short pulse of red light from a synthetic ruby crystal inside a coiled photographer's flash lamp. It was the first working laser. On 7 November 2017 UNESCO's General Conference chose that anniversary for the International Day of Light, a follow-up to the International Year of Light in 2015. The day celebrates the part light plays in science, medicine, communications, energy, culture and art.
How it's celebrated
The first International Day of Light, on 16 May 2018, brought more than 600 events in 87 countries, from hands-on activities in schools to festivals and light installations, with a celebration at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris. Universities, museums and science societies hold talks, open labs and science shows. At home it is a good day to watch a sunrise or a sunset, and to think about how far that light has travelled.
Did you know
- The ruby in the first laser was a commercially made crystal of the kind used in precision watches.
- Maiman built it on a budget of $50,000, after other scientists had dismissed ruby as a material that could not work.
- Malaysia and Vietnam were among the countries that supported UNESCO's proclamation of the day.
Coming up next
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- International Museum Day · May 18, 2027
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