Whether they"re a pivot table pro or an entry-level novice, spreadsheet users worldwide have one person to thank. Dan Bricklin released the first electronic spreadsheet programme on this day in 1979, a date now commemorated as Spreadsheet Day. The day celebrates the sophisticated grids that have reshaped businesses from accounting and engineering to education and project management. Like the spreadsheets that empower modern data handling, ancient civilisations also sought innovative ways to record and track the world around them.