On August 1, Ukraine celebrates Collector’s Day, the world celebrates World Breastfeeding Support Week, World Wide Web Day, International Clown Day, and Environmental Debt Day.
Collector’s Day in Ukraine
Collector’s Day was established in Ukraine in the mid-1990s. This holiday was created to recognize the importance of the collector’s profession and to increase the prestige of this work. This holiday is dedicated to people whose profession involves the high risk of transporting cash and other valuables, ensuring the safety and reliability of financial transactions. Debt collectors play an important role in the functioning of the financial system and this day is an opportunity to recognize their important work.
In Ukraine, there are several professional associations of collectors, which unite specialists in this field, ensure their professional development and exchange of experience.
In Ukraine, the profession of a collector is one of the most dangerous, because collectors deal with large sums of money and valuables every day, which attracts criminals. In recent decades, several high-profile attacks on cash collectors have been recorded, which have shaken the public and sparked discussions about security issues in this field.
Most of all attacks on tax collectors were carried out in Kharkiv. In November 2013, three armed criminals attacked a cashier’s car while transporting money from one of the city’s shopping centers. The attackers used Kalashnikov assault rifles to carry out the attack. Three collectors were killed on the spot. The attackers disappeared from the scene, having stolen a large amount of money. A few months later, law enforcement authorities arrested the criminals, who turned out to be members of an organized criminal group. In October 2016, armed assailants attacked a collection vehicle that was transporting money from the bank. The criminals opened fire on the cashiers, trying to get hold of the money. During the attack, one collector was killed, another was seriously injured. The criminals managed to steal some of the money, but they were apprehended a few days after the attack thanks to police action. In December 2018, an attack took place near one of the banks in the city center. A group of criminals attacked cashiers while loading money into an armored car. Criminals used firearms. As a result of the attack, two cashiers were injured, but it was possible to prevent the theft of money. The law enforcement officers promptly arrested criminals who were involved in a series of similar attacks in the region. In May 2020, attackers attacked a cashier’s car while transporting money to an ATM. Criminals used firearms and tried to break into an armored car. As a result of the attack, one cashier was injured, but it was possible to prevent the theft of money. Thanks to the operative actions of the police, the criminals were arrested a few hours after the attack.
In December 2005, one of the most high-profile attacks on tax collectors took place in the city of Dnipropetrovsk (now Dnipro). A group of criminals attacked an armored collector’s car while transporting a large amount of money. The attackers used firearms and grenades. As a result of the attack, two collectors were killed, and one was seriously injured. The criminals managed to escape with a large amount of money, but were later apprehended by law enforcement agencies.
In May 2011, on Zabolotny Street in Kyiv, two armed men attacked a cashier’s car while loading money near one of the banks. The attackers opened fire on the collectors. As a result of the shooting, two collectors were killed, one was wounded. The attackers managed to steal the money, but they were detained by law enforcement officers a few days later.
In July 2016, in Odesa, armed attackers attacked a collection machine near one of the banks in the city center. The attackers opened fire on the cashiers, trying to get hold of the money. As a result of the shootout, one collector was killed and two were injured. The criminals managed to steal the money, but were arrested a few weeks later.
World Breastfeeding Support Week
World Breastfeeding Week was launched in 1992 by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding (WABA) in collaboration with WHO and UNICEF. World Breastfeeding Support Week is celebrated annually from August 1 to 7. This global initiative aims to support and encourage breastfeeding as an important component of maternal and child health. The main goal of the week is to draw attention to the importance of breastfeeding, support mothers and spread information about the benefits of this type of breastfeeding.
Interesting facts about breastfeeding:
Breast milk contains all the necessary nutrients, antibodies and enzymes necessary for the healthy development of a child. It changes depending on the needs of the child, providing optimal nutrition at different stages of its life.
Breastfeeding promotes faster recovery after childbirth, reduces the risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer, and helps a woman return to a normal weight more quickly.
Babies who are breastfed have a lower risk of developing infections, allergies, asthma and other diseases thanks to the immune factors contained in milk.
Breastfeeding is economically beneficial, as it does not require expenses for mixtures, bottles and other means for artificial feeding.
World Wide Web Day
World Wide Web Day is dedicated to the Internet and its impact on the modern world. This day is a great opportunity to remember the history of the creation of the World Wide Web, its development and importance for society.
The World Wide Web was created in 1989 by British scientist Tim Berners-Lee, who worked at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). Its purpose was to facilitate the exchange of information between researchers.
The first web page was launched in 1991. It contained information about the project and was only viewable on CERN computers.
In 1993, CERN announced that the World Wide Web would be available to all for free, leading to a rapid growth in the number of websites and users.
Interesting facts about the World Wide Web:
The first photo uploaded to the Internet was of a CERN musical group called Les Horribles Cernettes.
In the early 90s, there were only a few dozen websites. Today their number exceeds 1.8 billion.
The Internet has become the backbone of many industries and businesses, from e-commerce to cloud computing and social networking.
The first web browser created by Tim Berners-Lee was called WorldWideWeb, but was later renamed Nexus to avoid confusion with the web itself.
International Clown Day
This day is dedicated to celebrating the creativity and skill of clowns who bring joy and laughter to people around the world. The holiday was started to commemorate Joseph Grimaldi, a famous British actor and clown of the 19th century. He is considered one of the most influential clowns in history. On this day, clowns from all over the world take part in performances, parades and charity events, bringing joy to children and adults.
Interesting facts about clowns:
Clowns appeared in ancient times. In ancient Egypt and Greece there were artists who entertained the public with comedy performances.
There are two main types of clowns – the white clown (a traditional, aristocratic image) and the August clown (a more comedic and simple image). They often interact in performances, creating comical situations.
Clowns became an integral part of circus performances in the 19th century. They entertained the audience between main numbers and performances.
Clowns often appear in movies and on television. One of the most famous movie clowns is Charlie Chaplin, who created the image of a little vagabond that became an icon of world cinema.
Clowns often work in hospitals, helping patients, especially children, to improve their mood and overcome stress during treatment. This is known as “clown therapy”.
Day of ecological debt
Day of ecological debt – this is the date when humanity has exhausted all the natural resources that the planet can regenerate in a year. The celebration of this day draws attention to the critical situation with the use of natural resources and calls for a more rational approach to consumption.
The concept of Environmental Debt Day was introduced by the Global Footprint Network in 2006. The aim was to calculate and draw attention to how quickly we use up the resources that the Earth can renew in a year.
A day of ecological debt is calculated by dividing the planet’s biocapacity (the amount of resources the Earth can generate in a year) by humanity’s ecological footprint (the sum of resources used in a year) and multiplying that number by 365.
Interesting facts about Environmental Debt Day:
Every year, the date of the Day of Environmental Debt is getting closer. In the 1970s, the day fell in December, in the 2000s in October, and in 2023 it will fall in July.
Environmental Debt Day is celebrated all over the world, but different countries have their own dates. For example, in countries with a high level of resource consumption, such as the USA or Qatar, this day comes much earlier.
To postpone Environmental Debt Day, humanity needs to reduce its use of resources, switch to renewable energy sources, and implement more efficient methods of production and consumption.
Historical events that happened on August 1
30 BC
- The fleet of the Roman general Octavian entered Alexandria, taking Egypt under the control of the Roman Republic.
- On the same day, the Roman statesman Mark Antony shortened his life.
527 year
- Justinian I became the sole ruler of the Byzantine Empire, ushering in an era of important reforms and building projects.
1291 year
- The cantons of Schwyz, Uri and Unterwalden signed a union treaty “for eternity”, which became the prototype of the Swiss Confederation.
1498 year
- Christopher Columbus first set foot on the land of continental America, landing in the area of the Paria Peninsula (modern Venezuela).
1774 year
- British scientist Joseph Priestley first obtained pure oxygen, making an important contribution to chemistry.
1780 year
- Sweden announced its permanent neutrality, which became an important event in the history of international politics.
1793 year
- In France, the metric system of weights and measures was introduced, which later became the basis of the international system of measurements.
1838 year
- Slavery was banned in most colonies of the British Empire, which was an important step in the struggle for human rights.
1876 year
- Colorado became the 38th US state, expanding the territory of the country.
1914 year
- The German Empire and the Russian Empire declared war on each other, and a general mobilization began in France, which became part of the events of the First World War.
1943 year
- Japan granted independence to Burma, an important step in the process of decolonization in Asia.
1944 year
- The Warsaw Uprising against the German occupation began.
- Anne Frank made the last entry in her diary, which later became one of the most famous documents about the Holocaust.
1960 year
- The independent Republic of Dahomey, now the Republic of Benin, was proclaimed.
2003 year
- Mozdok hospital attack (North Ossetia, Russia): A suicide bomber blew himself up, killing 50 and injuring more than 75.
2007 year
- Several events at once:
- The reform of the spelling of the German language came into force.
- A terrorist attack in Baghdad, as a result of which 50 people died and 60 were injured.
- A railway accident near the city of Benalek (Congo), where about 100 people died and 128 were injured.
- The collapse of the bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis (USA), which led to the death of 13 people and injuries to more than a hundred.
2008 year
- There was a total solar eclipse, which was watched by millions of people around the world.
2009 year
- The former Prime Minister of Denmark Anders Fogh Rasmussen became the Secretary General of NATO.
2010 year
- The Convention on Cluster Munitions entered into force, which was an important step in the fight against the use of these dangerous weapons.
