On August 2, Ukraine celebrates the Day of Remembrance of fallen paratroopers of different times and generations, as well as the International Day of the Roma Holocaust and the Birthday of the Postbox.
The Day of Remembrance of the Fallen Paratroopers of Different Times and Generations
On August 2, the former Airborne Forces Day, Ukraine celebrates the Day of Remembrance of Fallen Paratroopers of Different Times and Generations. This date is particularly important for Ukrainian society, because it is on this day that we honor the heroes who gave their lives for the independence and sovereignty of our country.
Airborne troops have a long history dating back to World War II. They have always been elite units capable of performing the most difficult combat tasks. Paratroopers are distinguished by high training, physical endurance and indomitable fighting spirit.
Since the beginning of the war in eastern Ukraine in 2014, paratroopers have played a key role in protecting the country from aggression. Their courage and professionalism have repeatedly become decisive in many battles. Paratroopers took part in battles for Donetsk Airport, Ilovaisk, Debaltseve and other important operations.
On this day, solemn events are held all over the country, at which the fallen heroes are remembered. Veterans, relatives and friends will gather at memorials, cemeteries, churches and other places to honor the memory of those who gave their lives for Ukraine. Moments of silence, laying of flowers, commemorative marches and other events are often held.
Interesting Facts
- Symbolism of the day. The distinction of this day is a blue beret and a striped shirt (vest), which are symbols of the landing forces. The blue beret symbolizes the peaceful sky protected by paratroopers.
- Credo paratrooper. “Nobody but us!” – these are not just words, but the real life credo of every paratrooper. This phrase reflects the willingness of soldiers to always be on the front line and perform the most difficult tasks.
- Memorable places. There are many monuments and memorials dedicated to paratroopers in Ukraine. One of the most famous is the monument to the fallen paratroopers in Zhytomyr, which became a place of pilgrimage for veterans and relatives of the dead.
This day is a reminder that the independence and freedom of our country is won by hard battles and great sacrifices. The memory of the fallen paratroopers should live in the hearts of each of us, because they gave the most valuable thing for our future.
International Roma Holocaust Day
On August 2, the world celebrates the International Roma Holocaust Day, paying tribute to the victims of the tragic events that took place during the Second World War. This date is an important reminder of one of the lesser-known tragedies of the Holocaust, which affected the Roma community.
During the Nazi regime in Germany and its occupied territories, Roma were persecuted and exterminated along with other groups such as Jews, the disabled, and political opponents. It is believed that between 220,000 and 500,000 Roma were killed during the Second World War.
On August 2, 1944, one of the most terrible tragedies for the Roma community occurred in the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. On this day, the Nazis destroyed the last so-called “Gypsy camp”, killing about 3,000 Roma, most of whom were women, children and the elderly. This event was called “Zigeunernacht” (Gypsy Night).
International Roma Holocaust Day was officially established in 2015 by the European Parliament to raise awareness of this tragedy and commemorate the victims. Various events are held around the world on this day, including commemorative ceremonies, exhibitions, conferences and educational programs.
In many countries of the world, monuments and memorials have been erected in honor of the victims of the Roma Holocaust. One of the most famous is located in Berlin, near the Brandenburg Gate. This is a memorial “In honor of the Roma and Sinti, victims of the Nazi genocide”.
There are many testimonies and documents confirming mass killings and persecution of Roma during the Second World War. These materials are stored in museums and archives, including the Holocaust Memorial Museum in the United States.
Mailbox birthday
Every year, the whole world celebrates the birthday of the mailbox. To celebrate this event, the date when the first letter boxes appeared on the streets of London was set – August 2, 1858. But this construction was known even more than three centuries before this date. The inventor of the first street mailbox is considered to be Sir Rowland Gill, who was a reformer of the postal system. His idea was to create affordable and convenient means of sending letters. The first mailboxes were round and green in color.
Interesting facts about mailboxes
The first mailboxes were round and mounted on iron posts. Over time, their design evolved, with a variety of shapes and materials, including square, rectangular, and even decorative caskets.
In different countries, mailboxes have different colors. For example, in Great Britain they are red, in France – blue, and in Australia – yellow. The color of the boxes often becomes a symbol of the country’s postal service.
During the Second World War, special mailboxes were installed in Great Britain for military aircraft so that pilots could quickly deliver mail during takeoff and landing.
There are museums in the world dedicated to the history of mailboxes. One of the largest is located in the Netherlands and has a large collection of various caskets from different periods and countries.
Mailboxes have become part of the cultural heritage of many countries. They are often depicted on postage stamps, postcards and in works of art.
Historical events of this day
1377 year
The Moscow army was defeated by the Tatar prince Arapsha. This defeat was caused by the mass intoxication of the Moscow soldiers, which led to their inability to resist the enemy.
1519 year
Battle of Sokal: the 40,000-strong Crimean Tatar army led by Bagatur-Saltan defeated the 20,000-strong army of the Lithuanian hetman Konstantin Ostrozky.
1727 year
Russian Emperor Peter II issued a decree on the restoration of the elected post of Hetman of Little Russia. This was a partial concession to the Cossacks, particularly because of the need for their services in the war with the Ottoman Empire. However, the elections were only a formality, because Danylo Apostol was to be elected hetman.
1791 year
Jean-Pierre Blanchard conducted the first successful parachute tests in Vienna. He dropped pets from a hot air balloon, thus demonstrating the possibilities of the new invention.
1802 year
Napoleon Bonaparte was proclaimed First Consul of France for life, strengthening his power and status in the state.
1865 year
The Macmillan publishing house published the first edition of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, which quickly gained popularity and became a classic of children’s literature.
1887 year
Rovell Hodge received a patent for barbed wire, an invention that revolutionized approaches to fencing and security.
1909 year
The US Army adopted the first military aircraft created by the Wright brothers, marking the beginning of a new era in military aviation.
1914 year
In Lviv, Ukrainian political parties united in the Main Ukrainian Council, creating also the Combat Board of the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen, the organizational and coordination center of the USS legion.
1918 year
The Hetman of Ukraine Pavlo Skoropadskyi approved the law on the creation of the National Library of Ukraine fund, which became an important step in the development of national culture.
1919 year
Dmytro Vitovsky died in a plane crash near Ratibor (Silesia) while returning to Ukraine. His death was a great loss for the Ukrainian liberation movement.
1933 year
The opening of the White Sea-Baltic Canal, built in a record short time – 1 year and 9 months – by the hands of Gulag prisoners. According to various estimates, up to 200,000 workers died during construction.
1939 year
Albert Einstein sent a letter to US President Franklin D. Roosevelt in which he warned about the work of Nazi physicists on the creation of atomic weapons and called for the start of a corresponding program in the United States.
1940 year
The Supreme Soviet of the USSR passed a law on the transformation of the Moldavian ASSR within the Ukrainian SSR into a separate Moldavian SSR, which included most of Bessarabia, which had just joined the USSR. On the same day, a law was adopted on the inclusion of Northern Bukovina and part of Bessarabia into the Ukrainian SSR.
1941 year
The first Italian troops entered the territory of the USSR.
1945 year
The Potsdam Conference, which had a significant impact on the post-war structure of Europe, ended.
1949 year
Academician Volodymyr Filatov at the clinic of the Ukrainian Experimental Institute of Eye Diseases in Odesa performed the thousandth corneal transplant operation.
2014 year
The Tbilisi court arrested the former president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili in absentia in the case of abuse of office.
47 BC
On August 2, Gaius Julius Caesar won a victory over King Pharnacus at Zele, commenting on his victory with the phrase: “Veni, vidi, vici” (“I came, I saw, I conquered”). Pharnachus occupied the highest hill near the city, and Caesar stationed his troops on a neighboring height on the eve of the battle. The recent victory over the Roman legions encouraged the king, especially considering that Caesar had half as many men as Pharnacus. While the Romans were hastily building fortifications, the Pontic king decided to attack them. Advancing up the slope of the hill was a risky decision, and Caesar, as they write, did not immediately believe that his opponent dared to take such a step. As a result, the Romans repulsed the attack, pushed the Pontians down the slope and launched a counterattack. After destroying the attackers, the Romans climbed a nearby hill and captured the enemy’s camp. King Pharnak was forced to flee.
Caesar’s phrase became catchy, and some explain its brevity by the mundaneness of the event, others believe that Caesar was not prouder of any other victory of his than this one. Historians claim that during the triumph of Caesar’s legions in Rome, a board with the inscription “Veni, vidi, vici” was carried in front of the commander.
1887 year
On August 2, barbed wire was patented in the USA, and the world learned about the “devil’s rope” for the first time. This prickly and cruel symbol of arbitrariness and unfreedom was invented by cowboys. In 1873, a farmer from Illinois, Henry Rose, invented a new way to restrain cows. He tied a wooden board with sharpened pieces of wire to the cow’s head, so that the animal, trying to crawl through the gap in the fence, hurt itself every time. Later, Rose realized that it is possible to attach such bars to the fence itself.
The experiment was successful: the cows learned to graze at a certain distance from the dangerous fence. In 1875, cowboy John Gates, for publicity, turned a square in the city of San Antonio into a cattle pen with the help of his barbed wire. Subsequently, Gates opened a factory in St. Louis and, using the converter casting method, became at the end of the century a monopoly manufacturer of “thorns”, the president of the “American Steel Company” and one of the richest people in the United States.
However, barbed wire went down in history not as one of the ways of fencing for cattle or deterring the enemy in war, but as one of the most vivid symbols of totalitarianism, the oppression of man by man.
2011 year
On August 2, the Supreme Administrative Court of Ukraine recognized as illegal the decree of the President of Ukraine, Viktor Yushchenko, dated January 20, 2010, awarding Stepan Bandera the title of Hero of Ukraine. Thus, VASU upheld the decision of the Donetsk District Administrative Court dated April 2, 2010 and the determination of the decision of the Donetsk Appeal Administrative Court dated June 23, 2010. The panel of judges did not satisfy the cassation appeals of Viktor Yushchenko, Roman Shukhevych’s son Yury Shukhevych, Stepan Bandera (grandson of S.Bandera), VO “Svoboda” and a number of Ukrainian citizens against these decisions, referring to the fact that Bandera was not a citizen of Ukraine.
Deputies of the European Parliament officially expressed their regret in connection with awarding Bandera the title of Hero of Ukraine and called on the newly elected President Viktor Yanukovych to reconsider Yushchenko’s actions.
In 2019, Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Bandera an “indisputable hero”: “Stepan Bandera is a hero for a certain percentage of Ukrainians, and that’s normal and cool. This is one of those people who defended the freedom of Ukraine.” After being confirmed in office, the president urged not to provoke Ukrainians with questions about Bandera and declared that all the people who defended the independence of Ukraine are its heroes, but added that “we have one step from a hero to an enemy.”
