April 30 is celebrated in Ukraine as Border Guard Day, in the world – International Guide Dog Day, International Jazz Day, International Noise Awareness Day. It is a day when events took place in different eras that changed the course of the history of individual countries and the whole world.
Border Guard Day of Ukraine
This is a professional holiday of people who are the first to meet the enemy and the last to leave the border. This is not just a tribute to the profession, but recognition of the role played by border guards in the conditions of the war, which has been going on for more than ten years. Historically, the day is dedicated to the first battle of border guards with the Russian army on the Crimean peninsula in 2014 — an event that became a symbol of the beginning of resistance from the state.
During the war, Ukrainian border guards became not only guards of administrative borders, but also participants in front-line combat operations. Their role was especially significant during the defense of Mariupol, the border battles in the Sumy and Chernihiv regions in February-March 2022, as well as the defense of Zmiiny Island, a symbolic outpost of Ukraine in the Black Sea. In many cases, it was the border guards who initially met the attack of the occupiers, often without artillery or armored support, risking their lives to stop the offensive.
The State Border Service of Ukraine has turned into a combat structure capable of performing tasks not only in the rear, but also in the hottest spots. It takes part in providing counteroffensive actions, detecting subversive groups, protecting strategic objects and supporting humanitarian security in the de-occupied territories. Border guards are not only guards at customs posts, they are snipers, scouts, dog handlers, fighters of assault groups.
Border Guard Day honors not only the living, it is a day of remembrance for those who died defending the state sovereignty of Ukraine. The names of the heroes of the border guard have become symbols of resistance: among them is General Ihor Momot, who died near Zelenopillia, as well as border guards from the “Assault Guard” and special units who did not return from the most difficult raids. Many schools, checkpoints and administrative buildings have memorial plaques in their honor.
Interesting facts
Zmiiny Island, which was defended by border guards, became a symbol of indomitability after the legendary phrase: “Russian warship, go…”. The fighters who were then captured were later released and awarded state awards.
As part of the DPSU, there are special units that carry out in-depth reconnaissance and sabotage-assault actions behind enemy lines. One of these units is the legendary “Burya”, which participated in the de-occupation of southern Ukraine.
In 2022, border guards rescued more than 100,000 civilians by evacuating them from border settlements in the first days of the invasion. Often this happened under artillery fire.
The DPSU canine service is considered one of the best in Europe in terms of the effectiveness of searching for explosives, weapons and drugs. Many service dogs, along with their handlers, have combat awards.
During the war, Ukrainian border guards became a symbol of discipline, military brotherhood and stability. The profession, previously associated mainly with passport control, has become synonymous with self-sacrifice and dignity.
International Guide Dog Day
The last Wednesday of April is a special date that unites more than 50 countries of the world in honoring those who every day without words help people to see the world. This day is an occasion of deep gratitude, solidarity and a call for public understanding of the important mission of these unique dogs.
Guide dogs are true partners who become the eyes of their owners. They guide visually impaired people through crowds, roads, obstacles, help them find the right way out, avoid danger, and provide psychological support. Their work is not an instinct, but the result of long training, in which unconditional responsibility, discipline and a deep connection with people are laid.
In many countries, guide dogs have a special status — they are accompanied in shops, government institutions, and on public transport. And despite legal guarantees, cases of discrimination still occur: people with guide dogs are not allowed into cafes or minibuses, confusing a service animal with a pet. Therefore, this day is also a moment to remind society: a guide dog is not an animal for entertainment, but a means of mobility, freedom and independence.
In Ukraine, the problem of availability of guide dogs is particularly acute. Training one such animal costs tens of thousands of dollars, and specialized centers that would provide professional training – units. According to public organizations, the number of people in the country who need guide dogs exceeds 10,000, but in reality there are only a few dozen such animals.
The war made the situation even more complicated: destroyed infrastructure, loss of funding, lack of specialists. However, thanks to international aid and the efforts of volunteers, new projects are emerging for the rehabilitation and training of dogs for veterans who have lost their sight as a result of combat wounds. It is here that a new facet appears – guide dogs as part of adaptation and psychological recovery after trauma.
Interesting facts
The idea of using dogs to help visually impaired people emerged after the First World War, when soldiers who lost their sight at the front received dogs as “mobile companions”.
The first official guide dog training center opened in Germany in 1916. In the 1920s, the model was adopted by the United States and Great Britain.
Labradors, golden retrievers, and German shepherds are the most common breeds trained as handlers. They have a calm character, high intelligence and the ability to learn quickly.
Guide dogs do not have the right to be distracted by external stimuli, do not react to food from the ground or people, do not play while working. They go through up to two years of training before they “come into office.”
Unlike service dogs, which can change owners, a guide dog builds a unique bond with one person. This is an emotional and mental union based on complete trust.
When a guide dog retires (usually at the age of 8-10), its owner has the right to keep it as a companion, while the new handler goes through a long period of adaptation with the same person.
In Japan, guide dogs are officially honored as “state assistants”. In some countries, they even have health insurance and the right to specialized veterinary care.
International Jazz Day
It is an event that unites continents in the language of improvisation and harmony. This is not just a concert or a musical flash mob. It is a day proclaimed by UNESCO in 2011 at the initiative of legendary pianist and composer Herbie Hancock, in recognition of the unique power of jazz to influence society, bridge cultural divides and open hearts.
International Jazz Day is an official holiday enshrined in the UN calendar, the purpose of which is to “raise awareness of jazz and its role in uniting people around the world.” According to UNESCO, jazz symbolizes freedom of thought, solidarity, peace and creative exchange. The program of the annual celebration includes hundreds of events in more than 190 countries: from master classes in schools to large-scale gala concerts with the participation of world stars.
Every year, one of the world’s megacities hosts the event’s main concert. In different years it was Paris, Havana, St. Petersburg, Melbourne, Cape Town, New York. The concerts are broadcast live and have an educational focus: the music is presented in connection with discussions about human rights, the fight against racism, and social equality.
Interesting facts
The initiator of the holiday is Herbie Hancock, winner of 14 Grammy awards, who in 2011 became a UNESCO goodwill ambassador for intercultural dialogue. International Jazz Day unites more than 190 countries and is accompanied by global concerts, lectures, live broadcasts
In 2012, the first International Jazz Day opened in Paris, at the headquarters of UNESCO. The program included a concert, lectures on jazz as a tool for social transformation and integration.
In Nazi Germany, jazz was officially called “degenerate music.” Hitler’s propaganda disparaged jazz as a “non-Aryan art” because of its African American roots. Despite the ban, however, entire jazz clubs sprang up underground, and Nazi youth movements such as the Swing Youth listened to jazz as a sign of resistance.
The American military radio “Voice of America” actively used jazz in propaganda during the Second World War, broadcasting it on the territory of occupied Europe as a symbol of freedom and resistance to totalitarianism. At the same time, it was a signal: “We are here, we hear you.”
In 1917, the Original Dixieland Jazz Band recorded the song “Livery Stable Blues”, which became the first mass music hit in history and ushered in the record era. The irony is that the entire band consisted of white musicians, even though jazz originated as a music of black communities.
Neurophysiologists have proven that jazz musicians activate different areas of the brain than classical musicians. During improvisation, the zone of self-control (prefrontal cortex) is blocked in them, which allows you to “speak” with the instrument without internal censorship – as in a state of creative trance. This was confirmed by studies on pianists who played jazz in an MRI machine.
Complex rhythms, polyphony, syncopation – all this requires a lightning score. That is why many jazzmen have either a mathematical education or an absolute ear. And school programs in the USA even use jazz to teach fractions and algebra: through rhythm to equations.
Louis Armstrong wrote letters to his fans on a typewriter every day. He had more than 10,000 fans in the world and maintained an active correspondence – not through secretaries, but personally. This is one of the first examples of what is now called personal branding. And even in hotels he carried a typewriter with him.
In the 1920s, the first jazz bands performed tangos, foxtrots and improvisations under the influence of American records. And in Lviv during the interwar period, jazz was part of the city’s culture. The Soviet authorities later branded it as “bourgeois art”, but the underground jam sessions did not stop. The Ukrainian jazz scene is alive, diverse and increasingly active. In different years, the Lviv Philharmonic, the Kyiv Institute of Music, the jazz clubs of Kharkiv and Odesa participated in the event.
International Noise Awareness Day
This initiative was born in 1996 from the submission of the Hearing and Communication Medical Center in New York and united dozens of countries in the fight against one of the most insidious types of pollution – acoustic.
The purpose of this day is to remind you that silence is not the absence of sound, but a necessary condition for maintaining physical and mental health. Noise pollution has long ceased to be a purely urban problem. It affects people in towns and villages, in schools and hospitals, in transport and at home. It’s not just an annoying background — it’s a factor that can cause stress, insomnia, increased blood pressure, decreased immunity, and cognitive impairment, especially in children.
In a world where information, transportation and technology create a continuous background hum, we hear silence less and less. According to the World Health Organization, long-term exposure to noise above 55 dB can be harmful to health. By comparison, night-time urban environments often have noise levels of 60-70 dB, and peak subway rush hour noise levels of over 85 dB.
In the conditions of war, the Ukrainian population experiences additional acoustic stress: explosions, sirens, rumbling of equipment have become part of the familiar sound environment. This creates chronic stress, increases anxiety levels, causes sleep problems, and even delays language development in children. Many displaced people and people living near the front line report hypersensitivity to sounds, symptoms of PTSD, reactions to loud signals or the roar of traffic.
Ukrainian environmental organizations increasingly raise the topic of sound ecology: how to reduce noise in cities, how to design quiet public spaces, how to teach children to respect silence. Noise Awareness Day is an occasion to talk not only about problems, but also about sound culture, about “quiet hours” in hospitals, about adjusting the volume of advertising, about recreation in nature without speakers.
Interesting facts
Silence for at least 10 minutes a day lowers cortisol (the stress hormone) and improves memory. That is why some schools in Japan have introduced “minutes of silence” between classes.
People who constantly live in noisy areas have a 20% higher risk of heart attack, according to research by the European Environment Agency.
Vaccines, antibiotics, proper nutrition — all this is important for children’s health. But regular nighttime noise (for example, from a TV or a noisy yard) is recognized as an equally critical risk factor for psychoemotional development.
The quietest place on the planet is a specially created Anechoic Chamber in the Microsoft laboratory, where the noise level is 121 dB (negative). A person cannot stand in such silence for more than 30 minutes – he begins to hear the sound of his own heartbeat, digestion and even the movement of blood in the vessels.
In Paris, Vienna, Berlin there are special “zones of silence” – urban parks, where the use of loud devices is prohibited, and lighting is minimized to create a space for relaxation and sensory recovery.
Noise is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, the development of anxiety states, a decrease in concentration and an increase in the level of aggression. For children, noise has a negative effect on their ability to learn: in schools located near highways or airports, the success rate is significantly lower.
Historical events on this day
711 year Tariq ibn Ziyad’s army landed in the Iberian Peninsula, beginning the Muslim conquest of Spain. It was this military campaign that began the centuries-long presence of the Arab world in Europe – with its architecture, science, medicine and culture, which later left a deep mark on Spanish history.
1803 year The United States made the so-called “Louisiana Sale”, buying the vast territory of Louisiana from France for $15 million. This agreement effectively doubled the size of the United States and opened the way for westward expansion, changing the geopolitical map of North America.
1838 The Republic of Nicaragua left the Central American Federation. In this way, the country declared itself an independent state, separating from the supranational entity that, since the beginning of the 19th century, tried to unite the new republics of Central America after the collapse of the Spanish colonial rule.
1840 year St. Petersburg censor Platon Korsakov signed the permission to publish Taras Shevchenko’s first collection, Kobzar. In the printing house of E. Fisher’s works saw the light of day, which later became classics of Ukrainian literature, formed national self-awareness and laid the foundation for the newest Ukrainian word.
1854 in Brazil, the first railway line was opened – between the port of Maua and Raiz da Serra. This railway marked the beginning of the transport modernization of the country, becoming a catalyst for economic development and an example for the rest of Latin America.
1900 The USA formalized the annexation of the Hawaiian Islands. The territory, which was previously an independent kingdom, came under the control of the United States, and later – in 1959 – joined the United States as the 50th state. This gave the US a strategic advantage in the Pacific.
1918 in Crimea, with the participation of German troops and the political support of the Central Council, the creation of the Crimean Republic was proclaimed. It was an attempt to build an autonomous entity in the conditions of chaos after the October Revolution and the arrival of German troops as part of the Brest Peace.
1918 on the same day, Mykola Vasylenko, a historian, professor and minister of education, was appointed Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian State, headed by Hetman Pavlo Skoropadskyi. The appointment of Vasylenko symbolized an attempt to give the government a more intellectual and stabilizing direction after the tumultuous events of the revolutionary
1975 North Vietnamese forces entered Saigon, marking the end of the Vietnam War. It became a symbol of the geopolitical defeat of the United States and the end of the independence of South Vietnam. Vietnam was officially unified under communist control with Hanoi as the capital.
1977 British band “Led Zeppelin” gathered a record number of listeners – 76,299 people at their concert in Pontiac, Michigan. This performance entered the Guinness Book of Records and became the culmination of the world domination of rock music, where “Led Zeppelin” was considered one of its titular monarchs.
