On January 20, the Day of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the International Day of Acceptance, the Day of Video Cameras and the Day of Spreading Knowledge about Penguins are celebrated.
Read more about the Inauguration Day of US presidents, the first police officers with radars, the millionth tractor in Kharkiv, “Black January” in the history of Azerbaijan and other historical events in our material.
Day of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea
This is an event that reminds of the historical choice of the inhabitants of the peninsula. It was on this day in 1991 that a referendum was held, in which more than 93% of Crimeans supported the creation of autonomy within Ukraine. This decision cemented the status of Crimea as part of independent Ukraine, contributing to the preservation of the unique culture, multinational identity and political independence of the peninsula within the boundaries of a sovereign state.
However, this day also evokes painful associations due to the tragic events of 2014, when the Russian Federation illegally annexed Crimea. The annexation was carried out in violation of international law, in particular the Budapest Memorandum of 1994, which guaranteed the territorial integrity of Ukraine. The events of 2014 began a new stage of the struggle for the restoration of Ukraine’s sovereignty over Crimea. The international community mostly did not recognize the annexation, condemning it as a gross violation of the international order.
Interesting facts
The 1991 referendum was the first peaceful way to restore the autonomous status of the peninsula, which testified to the desire of Crimeans to be part of Ukraine.
After the annexation of Crimea in 2014, the rights of Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians on the peninsula are systematically violated, which causes concern of international human rights organizations.
The UN General Assembly has repeatedly adopted resolutions confirming Ukraine’s sovereignty over Crimea and calling on Russia to end its occupation.
Crimean Tatars, who historically suffered from deportation in 1944, have faced persecution, arrests and bans on their cultural and religious activities since the annexation.
Ukraine continues to defend the deoccupation of Crimea in the international arena, initiating such platforms as the Crimean Platform, the goal of which is to return the peninsula to Ukrainian control.
The annexation of Crimea has led to numerous challenges, including the militarization of the peninsula, environmental threats, and blocking access to Ukraine’s maritime resources.
The Day of the Republic of Crimea remains an important symbol of the struggle for the territorial integrity of Ukraine and its democratic values.
International Adoption Day
This day calls for tolerance, understanding and support. This is a holiday with a touching story, designed to emphasize the importance of accepting yourself, other people and life circumstances. His main idea is to learn to accept what we cannot change and to find harmony in our own lives. It can be acceptance of one’s own shortcomings, features of appearance, differences of other people or even difficult challenges of fate.
Acceptance Day helps to realize that understanding and supporting others strengthens society, making it kinder and more cohesive. The holiday has become a platform for various initiatives: educational campaigns, charity events, actions in support of inclusion and the fight against stigmatization.
Interesting facts
This holiday was started in 2007 by Courtney Hickson, an activist who sought to support people with physical disabilities and their families.
The symbol of the Day of Acceptance is the image of an open heart, which symbolizes openness to the world and love for oneself and others.
Research shows that the practice of self-acceptance improves psychological well-being, reduces stress levels, and promotes self-confidence.
In honor of this day, art exhibitions are organized where people can talk about their own path to acceptance through creativity.
In many countries, this day is also used as a platform to combat the stigmatization of people with mental disorders.
Psychologists believe that acceptance is not surrender to circumstances, but an active choice to live in harmony with reality.
Video camera day
This holiday reminds of an important milestone in the world of technology and mass communication. It was on this day in 1982 that Sony Electronics revolutionized the storage of visual information by introducing the first commercial video camera. This device not only made video recording accessible to a wide audience, but also ushered in a new era in life documenting, film and television production.
Interesting facts
Sony’s first camcorder had the Betamax format, which at the time was a competitor to the VHS format. Although VHS gained wider distribution, Betamax was considered to be of higher quality. The first video camera from Sony was a real breakthrough: compact, easy to use and technologically innovative. It allowed people to shoot videos at home, opening up endless possibilities for creativity and self-expression.
The popularity of video cameras grew rapidly, and by the end of the 1980s, home video recording had become a routine for many families.
The advent of digital video cameras in the 1990s completely changed the market, making filming even better and more affordable.
Early camcorders had limited recording time due to the small amount of film, but today’s digital devices allow you to record hours of video.
Camcorder Day also celebrates the technology’s impact on cinema, particularly independent cinema, where compact devices have allowed filmmakers to make films on a smaller budget.
Modern smartphones with built-in cameras have become a continuation of the idea of affordable video shooting, making it a part of everyday life.
Video cameras play a key role in journalism, providing the ability to quickly shoot reports directly from the scene of events.
Penguin Awareness Day
This holiday is designed to draw the world’s attention to the amazing features of these birds, their habitats, and the problems that threaten their survival. Penguins, which are a symbol of polar regions, particularly Antarctica, fascinate with their behavior, social structure and unique adaptation to harsh conditions.
The main purpose of the day is to raise awareness of the environmental challenges facing these birds, including climate change, loss of natural habitats, ocean pollution and overfishing, their main food source. Spreading knowledge about penguins is an important step in preserving their numbers.
Interesting facts
Penguins cannot fly, but their body structure is perfectly adapted to swimming. They can dive to a depth of 500 meters and swim at a speed of more than 20 km/h.
There are 18 species of penguins in the world, of which the largest are the emperor penguins, and the smallest are the little penguins, whose height reaches only 40 cm.
Most species of penguins live not only in Antarctica, but also in temperate latitudes, for example, on the Galapagos Islands or the coast of South Africa.
Penguins are monogamous birds, and most species stay with one partner throughout their lives. Their thick waterproof fur and thick layer of subcutaneous fat allow them to survive in very cold temperatures.
Climate change is seriously affecting the number of penguins. Melting glaciers and shrinking krill, their main food source, threaten many species.
Emperor penguins are the only birds that breed in winter in Antarctica, enduring frosts down to -60°C.
Historical events on this day
250 — The Roman emperor Decius issued a decree on the persecution of Christians, which became one of the most brutal in Roman history. On this day, Pope Fabian of Rome, who was one of the first martyrs of Christianity, was executed.
1265 — Simon de Montfort convened the House of Commons of the English Parliament for the first time, which became the basis for the modern parliamentary system.
1320 — Władysław I Loketek was crowned Polish king, uniting the Polish lands after a long period of fragmentation.
1633 — The Italian physicist and astronomer Galileo Galilei left Florence for Rome to appear before the Inquisition for supporting the heliocentric theory.
1661 — Casimir University, now known as the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, was founded in Lviv. This is one of the oldest and most prestigious educational institutions in Ukraine.
1841 — Britain occupied the island of Hong Kong, which for many years became a key trade and cultural center of the region.
1892 — The first official basketball match was held in Albany (USA), which started a new sports era.
1921 — The first constitution of Turkey was adopted at the Great National Assembly, which laid the foundations of modern Turkish statehood.
1945 – Franklin Roosevelt became the president for the fourth term for the first time in the history of the USA.
1946 — US President Harry Truman founded the Central Intelligence Agency, which later became the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). On this very day, Charles de Gaulle resigned from the post of head of the French government due to the political crisis.
1958 — In London, the first police officers appeared with radars to identify speed breakers, which was the beginning of the modern traffic control system.
1961 — John Kennedy became the 35th president of the United States, and in 1969 — Richard Nixon took office as the 37th president of the United States.
1980 — US President Jimmy Carter announced a boycott of the Olympic Games in Moscow because of the USSR’s invasion of Afghanistan.
1986 — Francois Mitterrand and Margaret Thatcher signed an agreement on the construction of a tunnel under the English Channel connecting France and Britain.
1990 — On the night of January 19-20, Soviet troops attacked unarmed protesters in Baku, resulting in the death of more than 150 people. This tragedy is known as “Black January”.
1996 — Yasser Arafat became the first democratically elected leader of the Palestinian people.
1998 — In the Czech Republic, Vaclav Havel won the presidential election for the second time, continuing his path as a reformer.
2006 — A whale was discovered in the Thames, near the English Parliament. It could not be saved, but the event drew attention to environmental problems.
2017 — Donald Trump officially became the 45th president of the United States.
Inauguration Day of US Presidents
January 20 is a special day in the political life of the United States, because it is on this day that the presidents are inaugurated. Until 1933, the ceremony was held on March 4, but after the passage of the Twentieth Amendment to the Constitution, which set the end of the presidential term at noon on January 20, the date was changed.
The inauguration traditionally takes place in front of the Capitol in Washington, which symbolizes the openness and transparency of the government. During this solemn event, the president takes an oath on the Bible or another holy book (of his choice) and delivers a keynote address. These speeches often become historic, reflecting the new leader’s vision for the country’s development.
Iconic statements of US presidents at inaugurations:
Franklin D. Roosevelt: “Do what you can with what you have, where you are.” These words emphasize the responsibility of everyone to act even in the most difficult conditions.
John Kennedy: “Ask not what the country can do for you, but what you can do for it.” This appeal to the citizens called for active participation in the development of the state.
Jimmy Carter: “America did not invent human rights, but human rights created America.” This speech reflected the ideological position of the United States as a defender of rights and freedoms. It is noteworthy that on January 20, 1980, Carter announced a boycott of the Olympic Games in Moscow.
Ronald Reagan: “They say that politics is the second oldest profession. But I came to the conclusion that it has a lot in common with the first one.” This humorous approach of the actor and TV presenter made his inaugural speeches popular.
George Bush Jr: “God speaks through me.” This phrase emphasized the religious component of his worldview.
Barack Obama: “Be more careful with what you post on Facebook. Whatever it is, it will still surface sometime in your life…”. As the first African-American president, Obama emphasized the challenges of the digital age.
Donald Trump: “The main difference between me and the other candidates is that I am more honest and my women are more beautiful.” Trump, who had no experience in politics, brought scandal and scandal to the presidency.
Joe Biden: “Man, will you ever shut up?”. This was the answer during the debate, and his inauguration took place in the context of the pandemic. For the first time since 1869, the predecessor (Donald Trump) was not present at the ceremony. According to rumors, Trump left a note for Biden: “You know I won.”
The first police officers with radars
On January 20, 1958, the first police officers appeared in London with radars designed to detect violations of the speed limit on the roads. This event became an important milestone in the development of the road safety system and control over compliance with traffic rules.
The English claim that the first to develop radar was the Scotsman Sir Robert Watson-Watt. His work on “secret weapons” during the Second World War played a key role in the victory in the “Battle of Britain”. Thanks to radar technology, the British military was able to effectively warn of Luftwaffe air raids. In just a few minutes, the German planes needed to cross the English Channel, the British fighters were already in the right place, ready to fight. In 1942, for his contribution to the defense of Britain, Watson-Watt was knighted.
Ironically, Sir Robert himself became a victim of his own invention when he received a speeding ticket on radar. Legend has it that at that moment he exclaimed: “If I had only known what they would do with my invention, I would never have made it!”.
However, the issue of primacy in the development and use of radars remains debatable.
In the United States, the police began to investigate the possibility of using radars as early as 1947, and already in 1949, American law enforcement officers used these devices to impose fines for speeding.
Regardless of geography, the introduction of radar was a revolutionary step in the fight against violations on the roads, laying the foundation for modern speed control systems. This not only increased road safety, but also opened a new era in the interaction of technology and society.
Million tractor in Kharkiv
On January 20, 1967, at 4:45 p.m., the millionth tractor rolled off the assembly line of the Sergo Ordzhonikidze Kharkiv Tractor Plant. This significant event was the result of 36 years of work of the plant, which over the years has turned into one of the largest machine-building centers of the Soviet Union.
In April of the same year, the Kharkiv Tractor Plant received the second Order of Lenin for the achievement of producing the millionth tractor. Leonid Brezhnev, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU, personally presented this award to the then general director of the plant Valentin Biblik.
Less than seven years later, on December 29, 1973, the plant reached another milestone – the one and a half million tractor rolled off its assembly line. In the 1980s, the production capacity of the plant was up to 70,000 machines per year, which ensured the company a reputation as a leader in the field of tractor construction. Tractors manufactured at the Kharkiv plant were exported to 36 countries around the world, confirming the high level of technology and reliability of the equipment.
These achievements became not only a symbol of economic success, but also an important contribution to the development of agriculture, both within the USSR and abroad. The Kharkiv Tractor Plant became an example of the power of Soviet industry, which continued to influence the world machine-building market.
“Black January” in the history of Azerbaijan
January 20, 1990 became one of the most tragic dates in the modern history of Azerbaijan, which was called “Black January”. The events in Baku became the bloody consequences of the political and social processes that unfolded during the period of perestroika, causing riots, ethnic conflicts and mass casualties.
The riots and inter-ethnic tensions escalated into a massacre that killed hundreds of people. To suppress the riots, Soviet troops under the command of Colonel Oleksandr Lebed were brought into the city. According to official data, 125 people died, 737 were injured. Among the dead were also 20 soldiers of the Soviet army. However, the real number of victims could be much higher.
The military operation was accompanied by harsh actions, including shelling of peaceful demonstrators and the use of heavy equipment in urban settings. While the Soviet authorities explained the introduction of troops as the need to “protect order”, this decision caused widespread condemnation among the population of Azerbaijan, who perceived it as an act of violence against their people.
At the political level, no one took responsibility for the consequences of the operation. Only the Minister of Defense of the USSR, Marshal Dmytro Yazov, openly stated that the purpose of the military operation was to prevent the overthrow of the communist government by the People’s Front of Azerbaijan. These words confirmed that the actions of the Soviet authorities were aimed not so much at resolving the conflict as at preserving political control.
It is interesting that US President George W. Bush called the deployment of troops to Baku a “justified necessity” for Mikhail Gorbachev in order to maintain order in the region. However, for many residents of Azerbaijan, these events became a symbol of the bloody suppression of freedom and the national movement.
“Black January” became a turning point in the history of Azerbaijan, etched in the people’s memory as a tragedy that not only demonstrated the cruelty of the Soviet system, but also accelerated the country’s path to independence. Today, this date is celebrated as a day of remembrance for the victims and a symbol of national resistance.
