Tradesman: A worker in a skilled trade; craftsman.
What is National Tradesmen Day?
National Tradesmen Day is observed each year on the third Friday of September in recognition of the men and women that build America. The 2019 date for National Tradesmen Day is 20 Sep 2019. It also happens to be the same day as National POW/MIA Recognition day.
But we do it. We build America. Others may conceptualize and design it but brothers and sisters, we build it and fulfill the basic survival needs of our modern society: Shelter from the elements. Drinking water at the turn of a valve. Lights/heating/cooling comfort at the flip of a switch. Much more.
If you know or meet with someone in the building trades today, please take the time to thank them for putting in the time to gain knowledge to safely provide you with domicile and the essential systems in your home and workplace often taken for granted.
If you’re a tradesman at work right now and reading this on National Tradesmen Day do yourself a solid and go get yourself a cup of java and a jelly roll and take a legit fifteen.
History of the Tradesman
Stone Age Tradesmen
Before recorded history and before words more than ugga-bugga were strung together, there were the prehistoric cave people who by the way, actually uttered ugga-bugga. It is probable that tradesman/craftsman came into existence along with the advent of fire, and that they were in some form, at the top of caveman hierarchy.
Although they were not called tradesmen back then, they most likely held the mark on what was considered skilled trades of the day. The king-shit tradesman of Stone Age times was probably also a leader of some sort alongside the chief hunter and directed all the cave trades and apprentices while wielding a skillfully crafted club. And he probably hung around Big Rock in the cave which was the center for directing the activities of the hairy cave peeps. The Big Rock could be likened to the gang box areas on a modern day job site and the king-shit cave dude could be compared to the modern day super that hangs around those gang boxes pretending to be looking at plans, drawings, and paperwork.
Here is a list of what was likely some of the skilled positions and job requirements of them old cave days:
Firestarter: One who could start and maintain the cave fire without burning themselves or others and had the intelligence and learning ability to not use the other cavemen’s clubs for firewood. They were probably required to stay at the wood pile and watch the fire and add wood accordingly instead of wandering off and foraging for berries and stuff, sorta like when a modern day plumber wanders off and you find him out in his van eating a muffin.
A firestarter apprenticeship probably lasted until they were either: 1. Smart enough and brave enough to challenge the current firestarter (if there was only one in the tribe) for the treasured position at the wood pile. 2. Designated a firestarter by the king-shit cave dude. 3. Thrown into the fire by the current king-shit cave dude for burning someones club or causing dissension in the ranks of the cave peeps. (Note here the dissension aspect of the stone age “firestarter” is still prevalent on modern day jobs and they are a pain-in-the-arse.)
Rockgrinder: One who would grind rocks all day into sharp objects to be used for cave tools. They needed to be able to distinguish the difference between sharp and blunt. Not much more to say about this other than the modern day trade equivalent to this position is probably a drywaller as long as they are able to distinguish a sharp corner from a blunt corner.
Other Cave Trades: The Stone Age being a prehistoric period of time, there is no actual recorded history on other cave trades or the above listed trades. (Credit: Captain Obvious)
Tradesmen of Ancient Egypt
Irregardless of how some “historical” texts portray ancient Egyptian society as one of everybody being equally important, many considered tradesmen in ancient Egypt to be above the social standing of laborers and farmers but below that of the scribes and other upper class people. So something must have happened between prehistoric cave times and the ancient Egyptian period. I think it had something to do with the ones who developed the ability to communicate and comprehend hieroglyphics moving up the social ladder. Keep this in mind while you prosecute your jobs.
Man, some of the trades of ancient Egypt must have been more hazardous than building New York skyscrapers in the 1920’s without safety harnessing. Can you imagine being a Reed Cutter? (one who cuts reeds from the Nile for making papyrus and gets eaten by crocodiles)
Tradesmen in Medieval Times
Seems specialty trades started to really take shape in the middle ages and became valued and handed down through generations to the point where a peasant in the lower class had virtually no chance of moving up. Thankfully in today’s society, in this free United States of America, not one person that is born into a position of misfortune is unable to enter a rewarding skilled trade.
Here is a list of some Middle Age trades:
Miller: Someone who works in a grain mill. Mills were an invention of medieval times and were built to pump water and grind grain. The village mill housed a machine to grind a cereal crop to make flour. Millers have metamorphosed into today’s millwrights, most of whom have extensive knowledge of mechanical, fluid, and electrical/instrumentation systems.
Gongfarmer – A person who cleaned the outhouses. I would say this job preceded the modern day plumber who really came of age after the flush toilet was invented. And for your information, NationalTradesman.com has decided to induct the word gongfarmer into our glossary of slang terms.
Chandler – Not just a candle maker but often in charge of all the candles in a castle making sure they were lit and put out at appropriate times. Thank your electrician for installing a light switch so he/she does not have to come to blow out your candles.
Modern Skilled Tradesmen
Wrapping up this little stroll through history according to NationalTradesman.com on this National Tradesmen Day, we want to say thank you to all the dedicated skilled tradespeople of today that have been contributing to not only the building of modern society, but also the evolving ways and means of the systems and structures that go into it. Without your input regarding materials and methods or time-saving adaptations in the field of your particular trade, we believe construction advances would be stuck in the doldrums. Also, without the demands of skilled labor unions throughout the years, there is no way our level of safety on the job would be where it is today. So thanks again… NT.
Copywrite article by NationalTradesman.com 2019
Building Trades Navigation
Electricians HVAC/R Techs Plumbers Other Helpful Trade Resources
Main Menu Navigation
HOME PAGE Building Trades NT Blog