On July 16, Ukraine celebrates the Day of Adoption of the Declaration on the Sovereignty of Ukraine, Accountant and Auditor Day, as well as the International Day of Drag Culture, Guinea Pig Thanksgiving Day, and World Snake Day.
The day of adoption of the Declaration on the sovereignty of Ukraine
On July 16, 1990, the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR adopted the Declaration on the State Sovereignty of Ukraine. 355 deputies voted for this important document, four were against, and one abstained. The declaration defined the state sovereignty of Ukraine as the supremacy, independence, completeness and indivisibility of the power of the Republic within its territory, as well as its independence and equality in external relations. This document became an important step on the way to the independence of Ukraine, laying the foundations for the further declaration of independence in 1991.
The declaration was a declaration of intent:
- in matters of citizenship:
- economic independence: to create their own banking, price, financial, customs and tax systems, to form a state budget, and if necessary to introduce their own currency.
- to become a permanently neutral state in the future that will not participate in military blocs and undertakes to adhere to three non-nuclear principles: not to use, not to produce and not to acquire nuclear weapons.
- directly implement relations with other states, conclude agreements with them, exchange diplomatic, consular and trade missions.
Day of the accountant and auditor
This professional holiday was introduced in honor of the adoption of the Law of Ukraine “On Accounting and Financial Reporting in Ukraine” in 1999. The Day of Accountants and Auditors recognizes the important contribution of employees of accounting services to the development of the financial and economic activities of enterprises, institutions and organizations. This day emphasizes the importance of the professional work of accountants and auditors to ensure the transparency and efficiency of the country’s economy.
Interesting facts about accountants:
The accounting profession has a long history, dating back to ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. Already then, there were the first forms of accounting, which were used to manage stocks and taxes.
The oldest known accounting text was found in Babylon and dates back to about 5,000 years ago. It was a clay tablet with a cuneiform text that kept records of goods.
The term “accounting” comes from the Italian word “contabilità”, which means “accounting”. Mathematician Luca Pacioli, who lived in the 15th century, is considered the “father of accounting” for creating the first printed book on double-entry bookkeeping.
Accountants around the world celebrate their international day on November 10. This date is chosen in honor of Luca Pacioli, as his book “Summa de Arithmetica, Geometria, Proportioni et Proportionalita” was published on this day in 1494.
The accounting profession became one of the first professions where women received wide recognition. Today, women make up a significant proportion of accountants in many countries.
Accountants are known for their specific sense of humor. For example, there is such a joke: “What does an accountant do at a party? He counts the minutes until the end of the party.”
Other events on July 16:
- 1909 – founding of the Audi company: German engineer August Horch founded the Audi company, which later became one of the world’s leading automobile brands. The word “Audi” is a Latin translation of the founder’s surname, which means “listen”.
- 1912 – the opening of the Bessarabian covered market in Kyiv: the Bessarabian market, known for its architecture and location in the center of Kyiv, was inaugurated this day. It quickly became a popular shopping destination among Kyiv residents and visitors to the city.
- 1923 – Benito Mussolini banned gambling in the Kingdom of Italy: Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini decided to ban gambling in an effort to reduce social problems and control economic activity in the country.
- 1945 – The USA conducted the world’s first test of an atomic bomb under the code name “Trinity”: The test took place in the New Mexico desert and marked the beginning of the atomic era. This test demonstrated the destructive power of nuclear weapons, which were later used during World War II.
- 1951 – J. Salinger’s novel “The Catcher in the Rye” was published: The novel “The Catcher in the Rye” became a classic of world literature, known for its deep psychological analysis and influence on youth culture.
- 1965 – the opening of the tunnel under Mont Blanc, which connected France and Italy: the 11.6 km long tunnel became one of the most important transport connections between France and Italy, significantly reducing the travel time between the countries.
- 2010 – the First Odessa International Film Festival opened in Odessa: the Odessa Film Festival became an important event in the world of film art, gathering cinematographers from all over the world to demonstrate their works and share experiences.
- 2010 – the “Flag – to the top!” action, dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration on the State Sovereignty of Ukraine: The action was held in honor of the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration, symbolizing the unity and independence of Ukraine, participants raised national flags to the tops of mountains.
- 2019 – the Law of Ukraine “On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as a State Language” entered into force: the law provided the Ukrainian language with the status of a state language, defining the rules for its use in state institutions, enterprises, in the field of service and education, which contributed to the development and preservation of national culture.
July 16, 2002 the world’s only international private espionage museum opened in Washington. Leading experts and intelligence practitioners from the USA, MI5, and the former USSR took part in the development of the museum concept and the creation of exhibits. One of the founders of the museum is Oleg Danylovych Kalugin, a former major general of the KGB, who was convicted in absentia for treason in the Russian Federation in 2002, and now lives in the USA.
The museum has the largest collection of artifacts of international espionage — more than 600 exhibits. The museum’s exhibits highlight the work of famous spies and key espionage operations, and help to understand the strategies and methods of espionage in world history.
In the museum, visitors can try to pass a lie detector, crawl through a ventilation pipe, find and test “bugs”, apply make-up, try their hand at the art of observation and tracking – in short, play and pass the spy test! There are also some fun spy items to buy.
Legally, a spy and a scout are different entities. There were times when enemy spies were proposed to be put to death without trial. A spy is not entitled to prisoner of war status and may be prosecuted for espionage. But if the spy is in military uniform and it is proven that he belongs to the armed forces of the conflict party, he is a scout. In case of capture, the scout has the right to the status of a prisoner of war.
The thinker Sun Tzu believed that spies bring great benefit to their Motherland, because thanks to them, it is possible to prevent riots both inside the country and outside its borders. By the way, one of the originals of Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War” is kept in the museum.
How to recognize a spy? There is such a concept as “shibboleth” – a person cannot correctly pronounce certain words of another language. During the Second World War, the word for the Germans was “road”, American soldiers in the Pacific Ocean used the word “lollapalooza” (lollipop) to identify Japanese spies, and in our country – “palyanytsia” or “strawberry”.
