Thai Technology Day Date in the current year: October 19, 2024

King Bhumibol Adulyadej was educated in Switzerland and had a wide range of scientific interests. During his reign, he was involved in many development projects that were supported and financed by the government, taking a special interest in various techniques for rural development. Bhumibol was the first and only Thai monarch to receive a patent for his invention. According to the World Intellectual Property Organization, he held over 20 patents and 19 trademarks.

One of the king’s most significant projects was the Thailand Royal Rainmaking Project designed to mitigate the effects of drought. Droughts are a persistent feature of the climate of Thailand, which is a huge issue since over 80% of the country’s agricultural land relies on rainfall as the main source of water supply. Upon discovering that Thai farmers were heavily affected by drought, King Bhumibol Adulyadej proposed to solve the problem with the help of cloud seeding, a weather modification technique that involves manipulating existing clouds to increase rainfall.

The king established the Thailand Royal Rainmaking Project in November 1955, using his own private funds. After almost 15 years of research on weather modification, the first artificial rainmaking attempt was made at Khao Yai National Park in July 1969: aircraft scattered flakes of dry ice over clouds, which resulted in some rainfall within 15 minutes.

In 1971, the government of Thailand formally established the Artificial Rainmaking Research and Development Project within the Ministry of Agriculture. Another demonstration of artificial rainmaking took place on October 19, 1972 at the Kaeng Krachan Dam in Phetchaburi Province. The king demonstrated the cloud seeding technique to an assembly of people made up of government officials, foreign diplomats, and a large number of Thai citizens, who witnessed heavy artificial rain that steadily fell over the designated area. In the 1990s and 2000s, Bhumibol received patents for his “sandwich” and “super sandwich” rainmaking techniques.

In December 2012, the government of Thailand bestowed the title “Father of Thai Technology” upon King Bhumibol and designated the anniversary of the 1972 demonstration of artificial rainfall as Thai Technology Day to highlight the contribution of King Bhumibol Adulyadej to the country’s technological development. The holiday is marked by technological exhibitions, fairs, conferences, and other appropriate events and activities held by government agencies, educational establishments, tech companies, and other stakeholders.

Interestingly, Thai Technology Day is not the only holiday in Thailand inspired by the late king’s interest in science and technology. For example, Thai Inventor’s Day is celebrated on February 2 to commemorate the patent registration of King Bhumibol’s Chaipattana aerator in 1993.