On July 22, the world celebrates several holidays, including World Brain Day, International Boxing Day, Day of the Approximate Value of Pi, and Hammock Day.
In Ukraine, this day is special due to the celebration of Severodonetsk Liberation Day from illegal armed formations.
Severodonetsk liberation day from illegal armed formations
In 2014, the city of Severodonetsk was liberated from the terrorists of the so-called LPR. This is a significant event for Ukraine and many residents of the city. Severodonetsk, like many other settlements in eastern Ukraine, was captured by illegal terrorist formations. On July 22, 2014, the blue-yellow flag of Ukraine again flew over the city, symbolizing its liberation.
World Brain Day
This day was established by the World Federation of Neurology in 1957. The organization currently includes more than 120 professional associations of neurologists from different countries. The Federation is engaged in the study of diseases that can disrupt brain activity and the search for methods to maintain clarity of mind until the end of life.
Interesting facts about the brain:
- The brain is the most energy-consuming organ: it makes up about 2% of body weight, but consumes about 20% of the energy our body produces.
- Number of neurons: the average human brain contains about 86 billion neurons that communicate with each other through trillions of synapses.
- Neuroplasticity: the brain has the ability to change its structure and function throughout life through learning and experience. This phenomenon is called neuroplasticity.
- Brain and pain: although the brain is responsible for processing pain, it itself has no pain receptors and does not feel pain.
- The brain is at rest: even when we sleep, the brain remains very active. Dreams occur during the rapid eye movement (REM) phase, when brain activity is almost as intense as when you are awake.
- Signal transmission speed: neurons in the brain can transmit signals at speeds of up to 120 meters per second.
- Saving information: the brain can store about 2.5 petabytes of information (that’s about 2.5 million gigabytes), which is equivalent to the amount of memory that can be used to store 3 million hours of video.
- The influence of physical exercises: regular exercise not only improves physical condition, but also promotes the production of new neurons, improving memory and learning.
- Brain development: the human brain continues to develop until about age 25. The frontal lobes, which are responsible for decision-making and planning, are especially actively developing.
- Brain and water: the brain consists of about 75% water. Even mild dehydration can negatively affect cognitive function and mood.
International Boxing Day
Ironically, this holiday coincided with Brain Day. This is a fairly young holiday that has existed since 2018. In 2017, a mass boxing training set a new world record for the number of participants, which was entered into the Guinness Book of Records. International Boxing Association President Ching-Kuo Wu (who held that position at the time) announced that from now on July 22 will be celebrated as International Boxing Day. This holiday is already recognized in 205 AIBA member countries. In 2021, the countries that supported this holiday held massive simultaneous boxing training and grandiose boxing shows with the participation of national professional athletes.
According to historians, the earliest references to fist fights date back to the third millennium BC. Such competitions are depicted on reliefs, which historians attribute to the Sumerian, Egyptian and Minoan civilizations. The most interesting thing is that the ancient Egyptian relief shows not only boxers, but also spectators of the competition. Information about fist fights is also found in texts belonging to ancient Indian works.
Historians believe that boxing became a martial arts sport in 688 BC, when fist fights were included in the program of the ancient Olympic Games. If we talk about our time, sport boxing was officially born in 1867, when journalist and member of the amateur athletic club, John Graham Chambers, developed a set of rules for the amateur boxing championship in London. John Sholto Douglas, 9th Marquess of Queensberry, supported the author financially and contributed to the implementation of these rules in boxing matches, due to which the rules became associated with him.
Since 1920, boxing has been included in the list of Olympic sports. Different countries have their own types of boxing: Muay Thai in Thailand, French boxing in France, Lethway in Myanmar.
Interesting facts about boxing
The word “box” comes from the English word “box”, which means “box”. Initially, this word referred to a limited space in which fist fighters competed. This meaning is fixed by the term “boxing”.
Ernest Hemingway, Volodymyr Vysotsky and Oleksandr Pushkin were not only engaged in creativity, but were also fond of fist fights. One of the most famous boxers of the past, Rocky Marciano, did not lose any of his 49 fights, and 43 of them ended with a knockout.
Mike Tyson received the largest fee in the history of boxing – 35 million dollars. The shortest boxing match lasted 4 seconds – one punch after the gong.
A large number of films about sports are dedicated to boxing and boxers. The legendary film with Sylvester Stallone “Rocky” allowed the actor to become a famous Hollywood star.
American boxer Joe Frazier said: “Boxing is the only sport where they can shake your brain, take your money and order you to the undertaker.” And they also say: “Boxing is the best prevention for the brain!”.
Day of the approximate value of the number Pi
This unofficial holiday is celebrated by those who care about mathematics. The date July 22nd looks like 22/7, which is the approximate value of Pi, which is 3.141592653589793238462… and goes on forever, just like the universe.
Scientists believe that this number was discovered by Babylonian magicians and was used during the construction of the famous Tower of Babel. An insufficiently accurate calculation of the value of Pi led to the collapse of the project. Instead, the wise King Solomon calculated Pi more accurately and built the Temple of Jerusalem, the like of which was never seen in history.
The sequence of digits of Pi has no repetitions, which means that it obeys the theory of chaos. That is, the number Pi is chaos written in numbers. Moreover, if desired, this chaos can be represented graphically, and there is an assumption that this Chaos is intelligent. Viktor Shenderovych joked that the number Pi does not apply to round fools.
If you calculate the length of the Earth’s equator using the number Pi to the ninth decimal place, the error in the calculations will be only about 6 mm. Thirty-nine decimal places in the number Pi are enough to calculate the length of the circle encircling known space objects in the universe, with an error no greater than the radius of a hydrogen atom.
Hammock day
The day is designed to encourage people to take a break from their busy lives and enjoy the simple pleasures of being in a hammock.
Hammocks were invented by South American Indians long before the discovery of the New World by the Spanish. The technology of making hammocks passed from the Indians to the Europeans, who began to use them widely on ships as hanging beds for crew members.
In 1553, the word “hammock” was mentioned for the first time in the book “Chronicle of Peru” by Cies de Leon. Hammocks eventually became very popular in the port cities of the Old World, and later throughout the world.
There are different types of hammocks. They are popular and convenient furnishings that are commonly used in country homes and outdoors.
Historical events on this day:
- 1921 – Ostap Vyshny’s first feuilleton appeared in the “Selyanska Pravda” newspaper.
- 1922 – The first and largest smokehouse of senior platoons “Forest Devils” was founded.
- 1960 – Cuba nationalized sugar factories that belonged to the USA.
- 1968 – Human rights defender Anatoly Marchenko wrote a letter to the BBC and the Western press regarding the introduction of Soviet troops into Czechoslovakia.
- 1969 – Juan Carlos I is officially proclaimed the heir of Francisco Franco as head of state in the rank of King of Spain.
- 1979 – Sony started selling the first consumer Walkman devices.
- 1983 – American Dick Smith was the first to fly around the Earth in a helicopter.
- 1986 – The House of Commons of the British Parliament voted to abolish corporal punishment in public schools.
- 2001 – The official visit of the head of the People’s Republic of China Jiang Zemin to Ukraine has begun.
Creation of the International Monetary Fund
On July 22, 1944, at the Bretton Woods Conference of the United Nations on monetary and financial issues, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was created – a specialized institution of the United Nations (UN) with the main office in Washington. This is one of the most influential global organizations in the history of the world, and perhaps the most influential for our country.
The goal of the fund is to promote economic stability, help in the development of countries, eliminate and reduce deficits and poverty. The main mechanisms include lending, stabilization and counseling.
The IMF has 189 member countries, and 2,500 people from 133 countries work in its structures. The United States has the largest number of votes in the fund – 17%. This does not allow you to make decisions on your own, but it allows you to block any decisions of the Fund. The US Senate may pass a bill that would prohibit the International Monetary Fund from taking certain actions, such as issuing loans to countries.
Some have accused the Foundation of having ties to the Freemasons, the Order of the Dead’s Head, and the World Government.
