On this day

January 14: holidays and events on this day

On January 14, Ukraine and a number of other countries celebrate the Old New Year. Also on this day, the world celebrates the World Day of Logic and the Day of Home Improvement or the Day of Improvement.

On January 14, 1119, the Templar Order was founded.

On January 14, 1994, in Moscow, the presidents of the United States, Russia, and Ukraine signed a tripartite agreement on the elimination of strategic missile warheads located on the territory of Ukraine.

On January 14, 2010, the hands of the Doomsday Clock were moved back one minute for the first time.

Old New Year

This holiday has survived in tradition due to the calendar difference between the Julian and Gregorian styles. Although many countries have switched to the New Julian calendar, including Ukraine, and now celebrate the New Year on January 1, the Old New Year is still a popular holiday.

This holiday was often considered the end of winter Christmas celebrations, despite the fact that the Epiphany celebration is still ahead. Traditionally, on the Old New Year it was customary to gather families, observe folk rituals such as giving and sowing, and finish decorating houses and Christmas trees. In modern cities, it is during this period that people usually begin to take down the festive decorations and gradually enter the usual work rhythm.

On January 14, according to old traditions, Orthodox believers also celebrate the Day of Remembrance of Saint Basil the Great, who is revered as one of the most influential theologians of the Christian Church. Traditionally, festive meals were held on this day, during which kutya, a symbolic dish of the Christmas cycle, was necessarily prepared.

Interesting facts:

Old New Year is celebrated not only in Ukraine, but also in Georgia, Serbia, Montenegro, Moldova, North Macedonia and some other countries.

In the Ukrainian tradition, generosity and sowing, which were accompanied by songs and wishes for prosperity, symbolized the beginning of a new calendar year and invited happiness into the home.

In Serbia, the Old New Year is often referred to as the “Serbian New Year” and is celebrated on a grand scale, including fireworks and folk festivities.

In Moldova and Romania, the holiday is associated with the tradition of driving a goat, a theatrical rite that symbolizes fertility and wealth.

The transition to the New Julian calendar, which is used in many Orthodox churches, reduced the difference between the calendars, but did not deprive the Old New Year of its popularity in a cultural context.

World Logic Day

World Logic Day is celebrated every year on January 14 at the initiative of UNESCO and the International Council for Philosophy and Humanities (CIPSH). This day is dedicated to spreading knowledge about logic, its importance for science, education and everyday life. The holiday was first introduced in 2019, and its date was not chosen by chance: January 14 is associated with two outstanding figures who made a significant contribution to the development of logic. Alfred Tarsky, one of the founders of modern logic, was born on this day, and Kurt Gödel, the creator of the famous incompleteness theorems, also died.

Logic as a science forms the basis of rational thinking. It helps people build coherent arguments, analyze information, and avoid errors in judgment. World Logic Day aims to popularize this discipline among a wide audience, especially in connection with the development of technology, artificial intelligence and modern science.

Interesting facts

Logic, as a scientific discipline, dates back to antiquity. Aristotle is considered its founder.

Kurt Gödel, whose memory is commemorated on this day, is considered one of the most outstanding logicians of the 20th century. His works changed the idea of ​​the fundamental principles of mathematics and logic.

Alfred Tarsky revolutionized formal semantics and created a theory of truth that influenced the development of logic and philosophy.

Logic plays a key role in programming and building artificial intelligence because it allows algorithms to work according to clear rules.

Home improvement day

This is a special day dedicated to tidying up your living space, getting rid of unnecessary things and creating an atmosphere of coziness. It is a great opportunity to start the new year with fresh ideas and harmony at home.

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The purpose of this day is not only physical cleaning. It is also a way to review your attitude to the space around us, learn to get rid of excess and make your home a place that promotes relaxation and productivity.

On this day, it is recommended to assess the condition of each room, organize the storage of things, organize documents, get rid of unnecessary clothes or old items that no longer bring benefit or joy.

Interesting facts

The concept of “space organization” originates from ancient traditions, such as the Japanese art of “feng shui” or the modern “KonMari” method developed by Marie Kondo.

A clean and orderly home is said to help reduce stress and increase concentration levels.

When cleaning, you can follow the “one year” rule: if an item has not been used for more than a year, it may not be needed anymore.

House Cleaning Day often becomes an incentive for greater environmental awareness: many people start sorting waste, handing in clothes for recycling or donating them to charity.

Order in the house is often associated with order in thoughts. An orderly environment is believed to help achieve goals and plan for the future more easily.

Memorable events on this day

1814 – the signing of the Kiel Peace Agreements ended the Anglo-Danish War, after which Denmark handed over Norway to Sweden.

1918 – the Ukrainian Central Rada rejected the proposal of peace negotiations from the Moscow Council of People’s Commissars. Significant events took place on the same day:

  • at night the regiment named after Petro Doroshenko left Gluhiv after a battle with Red Guard units;
  • Ukrainian forces, after an exhausting 19-hour battle, were forced to leave Rivne under the onslaught of the Bolsheviks.

1919 – in Kyiv, the Directorate of the Ukrainian National People’s Republic decided to dismiss the government officials appointed during the hetmanship of Pavel Skoropadskyi.

1922 – VUCVK in Kharkiv approved the “Regulations on the Radiotelegraph Agency of Ukraine (RATAU)”.

1928 – The Central Committee of the CPSU(b) sent a directive to strengthen bread procurement, including to the Central Committee of the CP(b)U.

1933 – the German embassy in Moscow received a note from consul A. Henke about the tragic situation in Ukrainian villages: famine, epidemics and fines.

1942 – to the address of A. Hitler was sent a letter criticizing the Reich’s policy towards Ukraine.

1943 – in the Pacific War, the evacuation of Japanese troops from the island of Guadalcanal began.

1946 – The Ukrainian SSR became a member of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

1953 – Ukrainian O. Honcharenko became the absolute world champion in speed skating in Helsinki.

1980 – The UN General Assembly condemned the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan and demanded the immediate withdrawal of troops.

1989 – despite the opposition of the communist leadership, the Constituent Assembly of the Ukrainian Language Society named after T. Shevchenko, and the police dispersed a similar event in Ternopil.

1992 – Ukraine established diplomatic relations with Mexico.

2004 – in Georgia, the “flag of five crosses”, which was used during the times of the Georgian kingdom, became the state flag again.

2005 – the Huygens spacecraft successfully landed on Titan, a satellite of Saturn.

Foundation of the Templar Order

On January 14, 1119, the day of St. Hilary (a Christian saint, bishop and teacher of the Church), the Knights Templar Order was founded. At that time, Europeans actively made pilgrimages to holy places, but the roads leading to them were extremely dangerous. The situation was changed by a small detachment of noble knights, who took over security and police functions on the Palestinian roads. This group was led by Hugo de Payne, a representative of an ancient French noble dynasty that had always served its country faithfully.

The knights carried out their mission with noble zeal, protecting the pilgrims and paving safe routes. They punished robbers mercilessly, ensuring peace and order. Hugo de Payne became the first Grand Master of the Order. At first, the activities of the Templars remained inconspicuous, but over time they were entrusted with the protection of cargo, goods and finances. King Baldwin II of Jerusalem supported these brave knights and gave them patronage, which allowed them to found the order. However, they did not swear an oath to the monarch, but to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

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One of the key spheres of activity of the order has become financial. The Templars actually became the first bankers, introducing the check system. Each check contained the owner’s fingerprint, and the order charged a small tax for financial transactions with the checks. Thanks to this, pilgrims no longer needed to transport gold or silver – with a check, they could receive local currency at any Templar castle.

Knights gradually acquired a special status. They were exempt from taxes, could travel freely in Christian countries, buy land and real estate. All their activities were subordinated exclusively to the Pope.

However, the order collapsed due to manipulation and political intrigue. French King Philip IV the Fair accused the Templars of trying to seize power in Europe by using their vast financial resources. To give sensationalism to the accusations, fantastic accusations were added to the case: molestation of boys, desecration of crosses and corruption of girls. All this, of course, was “documented”.

On October 13, 1307, on Friday, all members of the order were arrested on the territory of France. Many of them were executed at the stake, and their property was “fairly” divided between the king and his supporters.

The Order of the Templars remained one of the most mysterious pages of history. Is he really gone forever? This question still remains unanswered.

Signing of the agreement on the liquidation of strategic missile warheads that were on the territory of Ukraine

On January 14, 1994, in Moscow, the presidents of the United States, Russia, and Ukraine signed a tripartite agreement on the elimination of strategic missile warheads located on the territory of Ukraine. This historic document laid the foundations for disarmament, as well as the mechanisms for the transfer of nuclear warheads to Russia.

The joint statement of Presidents Bill Clinton, Boris Yeltsin and Leonid Kravchuk emphasized the importance of developing mutually beneficial economic cooperation. In particular, the leaders emphasized the importance of supporting the formation of an effective market economy in Ukraine and Russia, which should receive support from the United States. Later, Great Britain joined this initiative, providing its security guarantees to Ukraine.

At that time, Ukraine possessed the third largest nuclear arsenal in the world, a significant part of which was aimed at the United States. This included strategic intercontinental ballistic missiles and tactical nuclear weapons aimed also at Western Europe. The elimination of this arsenal became a key stage in the strengthening of global security and the formation of a new world order after the end of the Cold War.

Moving the hands of the “Doomsday Clock” back one minute

On January 14, 2010, the hands of the Doomsday Clock were turned back one minute for the first time, making the world a little safer. This decision was the result of an event that became the antipode to the current realities: that day, the United States announced the rejection of the deployment of an anti-missile defense system in Eastern Europe. This news brought humanity a conditional “+1” to hope.

However, after this moment, the hands of the “Doomsday Clock” steadily move forward, bringing us closer to the symbolic “midnight” – the moment of nuclear cataclysm. On January 24, 2023, the clock was set to 90 seconds to midnight. For Ukraine, this day meant a conditional “minus 10 seconds” on the world security scale.

The idea of ​​creating a “Doomsday Clock” arose in 1947 as a reaction of scientists to the creation of a nuclear bomb. Their idea was to warn humanity about the risk of self-destruction. The decision to change the position of the arrows is made by the board of directors of the journal “Bulletin of Atomic Scientists”, involving experts, including 18 Nobel Prize laureates.

The magazine’s president, Rachel Bronson, emphasized that the current situation reflects an “unprecedented level of danger.” Her words that “90 seconds to midnight is the closest the clock has ever been set” emphasize the gravity of the situation. This decision was not made lightly, but it is a mirror of the reality in which we live.

 

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