Every year, on October 31st, millions of children will be going door to door using a simple invention to make their presence known to hopefully suspecting homeowners. They will be trick-or-treating — asking for candy in recognition of their elaborate costumes.
This is the day the doorbell, a staple of every modern home, finds its maximum use.
With first iterations going back as far as 1817, the modern doorbell as we know it has seen its first application using the still common electrical method in 1831 and has been widely adopted by every house until the early 1900s.
We not only celebrate the doorbell in general but recognize the inventor, J. Ralph Corbett, of the more modern version using a melodic chime.
With the humble doorbell starting to be replaced with more modern systems featuring internet connectivity and video transfer, this day shall serve as a reminder to the apex of regular doorbell design, and the feeling that most of us experienced as children, pressing the button next to our neighbor’s door, hearing the little tune letting everyone know we were present, and waiting in anticipation what bounty would await us to take home and share with our friends and family.