International Programmers' Day is celebrated on the 256th day of the year. In most years, this falls on September 13th, except in leap years when it falls on September 12th.
The number 256 is significant in the world of computing because it is the highest power of 2 that is less than 365 (the number of days in a year). In binary code, 2^8 equals 256, and the day is often seen as a tribute to the importance of programmers and their contributions to the world of technology.
The folks responsible for Programmers Day falling in September are Michael Cherviakov and Valentin Balt, two computer programmers from Russia who made their plea to the government as early as 2002. Then, in 2009, the government of Russia finally acted and declared the day to be a professional holiday, and set the date as September 13th. Of course, because the date is on the 256th day of the year, it falls on September 12th if it happens to be a leap year.
No matter which day it is celebrated, Programmers Day offers a specific reminder to everyone that the world of computers and electronic devices only functions as smoothly as it does because a programmer is somewhere behind the scenes, making it happen!
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