April 23 marks:
World Book and Copyright Day is a holiday created by UNESCO in 1995. It has a romantic story – there is a legend that Saint George, the patron saint of Catalonia, was able to save the country from a terrible dragon, to which people sacrificed their children. At the place where he killed the dragon, a bush of red roses grew. The saint plucked one flower from the bush and gave it to the girl who was to be sacrificed to the dragon that day. In the 1920s, an entrepreneur offered to exchange a flower for a book, thanks to which he managed to increase his sales.
All-Ukrainian psychologist’s day, which is celebrated in honor of specialists who help save people from suicide, apathy, depression, and also help to establish relationships with others. The science of psychology was founded in 1879, when Wilhelm Wundt opened the first psychological laboratory.
School Bus Driver’s Day, which is celebrated in honor of people whose work requires the ability to communicate with children, as well as a strong nervous system, quick reaction and attentiveness.
On this day:
1564 – William Shakespeare was born, but no one knows the exact date of his birth. In the arsenal of historians, there is only a church record of the baby’s baptism, which fell on April 26, 1564. Researchers assume that the rite was performed on the third day after birth. April 23, 1616 – the day of his death.
1907 – Jack London set off on a round-the-world trip on a two-masted ship;
1928 – The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that women were not “persons” (individuals);
1962 – the Ranger-4 space station was launched in the USA, which reached the surface of the Moon on April 26, 1962;
2007 – the global traffic safety week began in many countries of the world on the initiative of the UN.
1999 – The Radio and Television of Serbia building is bombed with Tomahawk cruise missiles on the grounds that the TV station was a legitimate target for bombing due to its role in the “Belgrade propaganda campaign”. At the same time, 16 people were killed and the same number were injured.
1348 – on St. George’s Day, King Edward III of England founded the Order of the Garter, to the glory of God, the Blessed Virgin and the Holy Martyr George – the patron saint of England, with the aim of “uniting several worthy persons for doing good deeds and invigorating the military spirit.”
There are several versions of the origin of the name of the order.
According to a romantic legend, after capturing the French city of Calais, the English King Edward III decided to hold a ball. During the ball, the Countess of Salisbury dropped her blue, bejeweled garter belt. The king, like a gallant gentleman, hastened to correct this mistake of his lady’s heart, picked up a garter and tied it on his own leg, causing laughter and smiles from his courtiers. Then Edward exclaimed: “Shame on those who laugh now! Many of you will be happy and proud to wear such a ribbon one fine day! I announce the establishment of the Royal Order of the Garter.”
There is another version – at the end of the 12th century, St. George came to Richard I during a crusade and ordered to tie garters on the legs of his knights. King Edward, remembering this story, chose the order’s motto – “Let him who thinks ill of it be ashamed.”
The first knights of the order became famous in the Battle of Cres, when the British defeated the French army.
This is how the first secular order appeared in medieval Europe, in contrast to the spiritual-chivalric orders that originated in the era of the Crusades.
