August 13: holidays and events on this day

World Shulga Day is celebrated on August 13.
On August 13, 2010, the National Anthem of Ukraine was translated into 14 languages of national minorities for the first time, on August 13, 1961, the construction of the Berlin Wall began, on August 13, 3114 BC, according to one of the hypotheses of deciphering the Mayan calendar, the world was created.
World Shulga Day
On this day, special attention is paid to people who use their left hand as the main one for everyday tasks. The holiday was started in 1992 by the International Shulga Association to raise awareness of the benefits and challenges that Shulga faces in a predominantly right-handed world.
Interesting facts
- About 10% of the planet’s population are shuls. This percentage has remained stable for many centuries and is the same across cultures and nationalities.
- Shulgi are often considered creative and resourceful. Studies show that among shuls there are more people with creative professions, such as musicians, artists and writers.
- Historical figures-thugs. Some of the most prominent individuals in history were shulgs. For example, Napoleon Bonaparte, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Albert Einstein and even Barack Obama.
- Challenges of shulg in everyday life. Most things in the world are designed for right-handed people: scissors, door locks, computer mice, musical instruments. Because of this, shuls often face additional difficulties in everyday life.
- Sports benefits. Shulgas often have an advantage in certain sports, such as tennis, boxing, and baseball. This is due to the fact that their movements are unusual for most right-handed opponents, which makes them less predictable.
- Myths and superstitions. Throughout history, shulgams have often been treated ambiguously, and sometimes even with suspicion. For example, in the Middle Ages, left-handedness was associated with witchcraft. In some cultures, they tried to “retrain” children to be right-handed.
Historical events on this day
3113 year BC: according to the Mayan Indian calendar, the world was created on this day.
1521 year: after a three-month siege, a detachment of Spanish conquistadors led by Hernan Cortes captured the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City).
1642 year: Dutch mechanic, physicist, mathematician, astronomer and inventor Christian Huygens discovered the ice cap at the south pole of Mars.
1677 year: the First Chygyrin defense against the Ottoman-Tatar troops began.
1680 year: the Indians expelled the Spaniards from Santa Fe (New Mexico).
1822 year: Emperor Alexander I issued a rescript banning all secret associations, including Masonic lodges.
1868 year: An earthquake in Ecuador and Peru killed more than 25,000 people.
1898 year: the American fleet captured Manila (Philippines).
1899 year: American inventor William Gray received a patent for a payphone.
1905 year: a referendum on ending the union with Sweden was held in Norway.
1907 year: the first taxis appeared in New York.
1912 year: the French doctor H. Odin announced the discovery of the cancer virus.
1913 year: the first stainless steel was smelted in Sheffield.
1917 year: separatist uprising began in Catalonia.
1932 year: in Rome, Guglielmo Marconi tested short-wave radio for the first time, and Hitler rejected the offer to take over the post of German vice chancellor.
1940 year: the first Luftwaffe air raid on British military facilities and cities, marking the beginning of the Battle of Britain.
1941 year: the Women’s Army Corps was created in Canada.
1945 year: the World Zionist Congress demanded that the British government allow one million Jews to enter Palestine.
1947 year: In Lahore, an angry mob pelted stones at Mahatma Gandhi’s house.
1948 year: The UN Security Council passed a resolution recognizing the right of the people of Kashmir to self-determination.
1952 year: Germany and Japan joined the International Monetary Fund.
1960 year: the government of the newly created Central African Republic declared independence from France.
1964 year: the last execution took place in Great Britain. in 1966: a ban on miniskirts was introduced in Tunisia.
1997 year: the government of the province of Ontario, Canada, announced plans to close seven nuclear power plants located near the border with the United States.
For the first time, the National Anthem of Ukraine was translated into 14 languages of national minorities
On August 13, 2010, a significant event dedicated to the celebration of Independence Day took place in Ukraine. Before that date, a unique project was created, within which the National Anthem of Ukraine was first translated into 14 languages of national minorities living in Ukraine and shown on national television.
This cultural project aimed not only to emphasize the importance of unity and respect for the diversity of peoples that make up the Ukrainian nation, but also to pay tribute to each ethnic community that contributes to the development of the country. The idea was to show that the independence and sovereignty of Ukraine is a common value for all its citizens, regardless of their ethnic origin.
The national anthem of Ukraine was performed in such languages as Russian, Belarusian, Yiddish, Armenian, Georgian and even Romani. The translations were made by the representatives of the national communities themselves, which made the project even more special and authentic.
The script of the project was written by Mark Gres, and the director was Anna Gres. The Romani version of the anthem was translated by the “Romen” ensemble, led by Yury and Valentina Korzhova. The Yiddish translation was performed by the composer Mark Feiner, and the Georgian version was created by the poet Soso Chochia.
Construction of the Berlin Wall
On August 13, 1961, the construction of the Berlin Wall began, one of the most famous symbols of the Cold War. This event was the result of many political and social processes unfolding in the divided Germany after the Second World War. But the beginning of this drama can be traced back to the day before, on August 12, when an unexpected call came to the American intelligence center in West Berlin.
That evening, KGB agent Bohdan Mykolayovych Stashynskyi, who was previously known as the killer of the leaders of the Ukrainian nationalist movement, Lev Rebet and Stepan Bandera, called and asked to be put in touch with the American authorities. Stashynskyi decided to side with the USA, and the reason for this was his personal drama. The super-agent of the KGB fell in love with the German Ingrid Paul, who already became his wife and bore him a son. The Soviet command actually ordered him to leave his beloved, who categorically refused to move to Moscow. This was the last straw for Stashynsky, and he decided to flee to the West.
It was relatively easy to travel to the territory of West Berlin in those days. Having presented documents in the name of Josef Lehman at the checkpoint, Bohdan Stashynskyi crossed the border and turned himself in at the nearest police station.
Already on the night of August 13, East Berlin was declared a first degree alarm. The military, police and workers’ wives took up designated positions, where materials for the construction of barricades had been prepared in advance. By morning, the city’s three million inhabitants discovered that Berlin had been divided in half. Barbed wire blocked 193 streets, 8 tram lines and 4 metro lines. With German punctuality, water and gas pipes were welded in places adjacent to the border, electric and telephone cables were cut, and sewage tunnels were laid with bricks. The dividing line ran through squares, bridges, boulevards, cemeteries, wastelands, ponds and parks. Early in the morning, Berliners learned that from now on they live in two different cities.
The Berlin Wall stretched for 155 km, of which 43 km passed directly through the territory of Berlin. Its height was about 3.5 meters. The Chairman of the State Council of the GDR, Erich Honecker, believed that “The wall will not fall! It will stand for another 50 or 100 years, until the reasons for its construction disappear.” But these words did not come true.
After German reunification, a section of the Wall with a length of 1,316 meters was preserved and turned into an open-air art gallery. The most famous exhibit of this gallery was the drawing that immortalized the “socialist kiss” of Brezhnev and Honecker.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, many world leaders expressed their thoughts on this event.
French President Francois Mitterrand noted:
“Obviously, it would be much better for France if Germany remained divided. But no one could do anything about it. Neither the powers of this world, nor the army of the GDR. There was no coup, no protests. The wall just fell down.”
SPD presidium member Gerhard Schroeder said:
“The wall was destroyed not by Washington, not by Bonn, not by Moscow. It was completely destroyed by brave, fearless people who found themselves on both sides – in the east and the west.”
Creation of the world according to the Mayan calendar
On August 13, 3114 BC, according to one of the hypotheses of deciphering the Mayan calendar, the world was created. According to this mythology, the world arose from the void that was the immensity of the Heavens. The formation of the world was not without the intervention of the Creator, the Conqueror and the Emerald Serpent. Aons, as the myths say, “gathered and consulted: they understood each other, combined their words and advice.” At that moment there was a flash and it all started. That’s when the first day of the Mayan calendar began.
This calendar is one of the most complex and mysterious creations of ancient civilizations. Its detailed structure and precision fascinate researchers to this day. Trying to understand it is not an easy task, but here are some facts for general development:
- Symbols of the days. Each day in the Mayan calendar corresponds to its symbol, the so-called Sun Seal. These symbols played an important role in Mayan rituals and beliefs.
- Days without names. In the Mayan calendar, there were five additional days that did not have names. These were added to make the total number of days in the year equal to 365. These days were called Vayeb and were considered unlucky, although the specific days and why they are unlucky remain a mystery.
- Calendar accuracy. Modern scientists have determined that the length of a solar year is 365.2422 days, and the Mayans calculated this length as 365.2420 days. Scientists estimate that the Mayans must have observed and recorded the movements of the planets for about 10,000 years in order to compile such an accurate calendar.
- The prophecy of the Aztecs. The Aztecs, unlike the Maya, believed that the end of the world would come on the day 4 Ahau 8 Kumhu, and waited for this day every 52 years. It remains only to determine when exactly these 52 years should end. It is important to remember the ancient Mayan belief: “As you face the end of the world, so you will see it through.”
- The end of the Mayan calendar. The Maya left us a calendar that ends on December 21, 2012. It was this date that was considered the end of their great cycle. Many people around the world have been waiting for this day, believing that it could be the end of the world, as predicted by ancient civilizations.