February 21 is International Mother Language Day and World Tour Guide Day. This day is marked by events that have significantly influenced politics, science, culture and technical development in different countries of the world.
International Mother Language Day
International Mother Language Day is celebrated every year on February 21 at the initiative of UNESCO. The date was established in 1999, and since 2000 it has been celebrated at the international level. The goal is to support linguistic and cultural diversity and preserve languages that are in danger of extinction.
February 21 was chosen to commemorate the events of 1952 in the city of Dhaka, when students died during a protest for the recognition of Bengali as the state language. The event became an important stage in the language movement in the then East Pakistan, and later in independent Bangladesh. The day is designed to draw attention to the linguistic heritage of peoples and the human right to learn and communicate in their native language.
Interesting facts
According to UNESCO, there are about 7 thousand languages in the world, and almost half of them are under threat of extinction, since they are used by a small number of speakers and are not passed on to children.
Every two weeks, one language disappears in the world, along with which oral traditions, songs, knowledge about nature and the historical experience of the community are lost.
In Ukraine, in addition to Ukrainian, Russian, Crimean Tatar, Karaite and Krymchat languages have historically existed, with Karaite and Krymchat being languages with a critically small number of speakers.
The most common native language in the world by the number of speakers is Chinese, while English has the largest number of people who use it as a second language.
The Icelandic language has hardly changed since the Middle Ages, so modern Icelanders can read ancient sagas without significant difficulties.
Papua New Guinea is home to over 800 languages, making it one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world.
The Ukrainian language has one of the largest numbers of diminutive forms in Europe, which allows for the transmission of nuances of meaning and emotion through word formation.
There are languages in the world that have only a few dozen speakers, such as the Ainu language in Japan or Livonian in Latvia, and special educational programs for children and digital archives are created to preserve them.
World Guide Day
This holiday was established in 1990 at the initiative of the President of the International Federation of Guides, Titis Loizides. The date unites professionals working in the field of tour guidance and the promotion of cultural heritage.
The International Federation of Guides was established in 1985 and unites professional associations from dozens of countries around the world. World Tour Guide Day is designed to highlight the role of guides in preserving historical memory, developing tourism, and shaping the perception of countries and cities through live storytelling and personal contact with visitors.
Interesting facts
The first professional guides appeared in Ancient Greece and Rome, where specially trained people accompanied travelers to temples, sanctuaries, and landmarks.
In many countries, the profession of a tour guide requires mandatory certification and passing exams in history, architecture, and law, and working without a license can result in fines.
In Ukraine, professional guides work in Ukrainian and foreign languages, and in large tourist cities there are specialized thematic tours dedicated to individual historical periods or figures.
In the Vatican, only guides who have passed special accreditation and confirmed their knowledge of art history are allowed to conduct museum tours.
The longest continuous tours can last over 8 hours and cover dozens of locations, which requires the guide to have endurance and in-depth training.
In Japan, there is a tradition of free volunteer guides who conduct tours for foreigners in order to popularize the country’s culture.
Some museums around the world keep archives of oral histories of guides, as their interpretations and local stories eventually become part of the intangible cultural heritage.
Historical events on this day
1431 – The ecclesiastical trial of Joan of Arc began in Rouen, initiated by the English authorities and their allies, who sought to discredit the French heroine of the Hundred Years’ War. The trial ended in a death sentence, and a century later the church recognized it as unjust.
1784 – The city of Nikolaev was founded as a shipbuilding center in the south of the empire, which later became one of the key ports of the region.
1804 – Richard Trevithick’s steam engine carried out the first ever railway transport of goods and passengers at the enterprise in Merthyr Tydfil, demonstrating the practicality of steam traction.
1808 – The Russian Empire, without an official declaration of war, began military operations against Sweden, which was the beginning of a campaign that resulted in the annexation of Finland.
1835 – Astronomers recorded the galaxies NGC 2397, NGC 2397A, and NGC 2397B, expanding the catalog of deep space objects.
1842 – John Greenough received a patent for a sewing machine in the United States, although the design was developed by another inventor, which later led to disputes over authorship.
1858 – In Boston, Edwin Holmes installed the first electric burglar alarm system, starting the security technology industry.
1863 – A number of galaxies were discovered, including NGC 2862, NGC 2927, NGC 2929, NGC 2930, NGC 3575, and NGC 3760, which supplemented the astronomical catalogs of the 19th century.
1878 – The first telephone book was printed in New Haven, with only 50 subscribers, reflecting the initial stage of the development of telephone communication.
1901 – The passenger steamer SS City of Rio de Janeiro was wrecked near the entrance to the Golden Gate Strait, killing 128 people and saving 81 passengers.
1906 – A military court sentenced Lieutenant Peter Schmidt, one of the leaders of the Sevastopol uprising during the revolutionary events of 1905, to death.
1914 – The Ukrainian publishing house “Novyi Svit” was founded in Montreal, which became a center of the printed word for the Ukrainian community in Canada.
1916 – The Battle of Verdun began on the Western Front, one of the longest and bloodiest operations of World War I.
1921 – A coup d’état organized by the Persian Cossack Division took place in Persia, paving the way for the establishment of the Pahlavi dynasty.
1925 – The first issue of The New Yorker magazine was published, which later became one of the most influential publications in the United States.
1935 – The creation of the Lancôme cosmetics company was announced, which eventually turned into an international brand.
1941 – The Spanish government reported the presence of German troops on its territory, officially explaining this as relief after a natural disaster.
1947 – The Polaroid camera was introduced in the United States, capable of producing ready-made pictures shortly after taking them.
1948 – The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR issued a decree authorizing the deportation of persons who did not fulfill the established minimum number of days of work on collective farms outside Ukraine.
1973 – Israeli fighter jets shot down a Libyan Boeing 727 passenger plane over the Sinai Peninsula, killing most of the people on board.
1992 – The UN Security Council adopted a decision to deploy peacekeeping forces to Yugoslavia amid the armed conflict.
1993 – In Donetsk, Sergey Bubka set a world record for indoor pole vaulting, overcoming a height of 6 meters 15 centimeters.
1994 – The urban-type settlement of Yasne in Khmelnytskyi region received a new name, Narkevychi, as part of an administrative renaming.
1995 – Steve Fossett made the world’s first solo hot air balloon flight across the Pacific Ocean, traveling thousands of miles without landing.
1998 – Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” topped the music charts and became a landmark hit after the release of the film “Titanic.”
2008 – The United States destroyed its own spy satellite in orbit using an anti-missile system, the first such incident since 1985.
