Sunday the 18th of April, is the World Amateur Radio Day. Each year, on the
anniversary of its founding, the International Amateur Radio Union marks
World Amateur Radio Day. It was on that date in 1925 that the inaugural
meeting of the IARU was held in Paris. At the time, exploration of the
'short waves' was just beginning. Radio amateurs were well ahead of their
commercial counterparts in exploiting the long-distance capabilities of this
unique part of the radio spectrum.

Today there are nearly three million Amateur Service licensees located in
nearly every country in the world. Radio amateurs continue to build and
maintain personal ties in a world that is in ever greater need of mutual
understanding. As it begins its 80th year, the IARU is a world-wide
federation of national amateur radio organisations representing radio
amateurs in 159 countries. The IARU is a Sector Member of the International
Telecommunication Union and is the recognised representative of the Amateur
and Amateur-Satellite Services at the ITU.

http://www.rsgb.org/news/gb2rs.htm