May 13th is World Technology Day for the Future and World Dandelion Day. On this day, in different years, events took place that left a noticeable mark in world, European and Ukrainian history – from geographical discoveries to the creation of universities and tragic moments of war.
World Technology Day for the Future: A Look into Tomorrow’s World
This day is an opportunity to stop, look back at the achievements, reflect on the challenges and outline the guidelines for development that serves the benefit of the person. It calls for dialogue across generations, industries and cultures about how technology can drive a sustainable, secure and inclusive world. It is not only about artificial intelligence or robots, but about engineering, energy, medicine, ecology, education – about all areas where the human mind, armed with technical knowledge, changes reality.
Special attention is paid to attracting young people to technical specialties. During this date, international organizations, including UNESCO and the International Federation of Technical Associations, emphasize that engineering literacy and technical ethics are the basis for overcoming global challenges, from climate change to cyber security.
The World Technology Day for the Future is also an invitation to co-creation: the state, business, universities, startups, and civil society should jointly search for solutions that are not only innovative, but also humane. The future will not be built by itself – it is being designed today by those who think systematically, critically, taking into account the impact of technical solutions on the environment, social justice and human dignity.
Interesting facts
In the middle of the 20th century, the concept of “technology of the future” was associated with rocketry and space, and today – with nanorobots, artificial intelligence and renewable energy.
One of the areas of future technology — bioengineering — made it possible to create “artificial skin” that conveys the feeling of touch, opening new horizons in prosthetics.
There is already a fully automated hotel in Tokyo where all functions—from check-in to room service—are handled by robots. This project became a laboratory of technical solutions for the future of the service sector.
According to UNESCO, only 28% of researchers in technical sciences are women. Therefore, one of the tasks of the day is to overcome the gender gap in the STEM field.
Engineers of the future increasingly work at the intersection of disciplines: for example, medical roboticists have knowledge of electronics, anatomy, and programming.
Artificial intelligence, which today seems to be the pinnacle of technological development, is already creating new models of technology — from drones to structures for Mars.
Some countries are already experimenting with “technical parliaments”: advisory groups of engineers and scientists who help make public policy decisions, especially on climate and energy.
Ukrainian startups in the field of technology for the future, despite the war, demonstrate global innovations in the field of agrotech, drones, hydrogen energy and cyber defense.
World Dandelion Day
This holiday is dedicated to a plant that is often underestimated by being called a weed, but which is actually a true phenomenon of nature. This day is designed to draw attention to the dandelion as a source of biodiversity, food, medical and cultural value. In our time, when humanity is increasingly thinking about the preservation of ecosystems and an ecological lifestyle, even such a common plant as the dandelion is becoming a symbol of harmony between man and the environment.
Dandelion is a versatile plant that is consumed in different cultures as food, used as medicine, researched in pharmaceuticals, made into coffee and even used to create eco-friendly rubber. For bees, dandelion is one of the first spring nectar-bearing plants, which helps insects survive the off-season. For people, it is a treasure rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that can be found literally under their feet.
World Dandelion Day is also a reminder of the power of simplicity. It grows in asphalt cracks, survives on depleted soils, decorates fields and parks, even if it is not cultivated. This is where the philosophy of sustainability is embodied: not everything valuable should be exotic, not everything important should be expensive. The dandelion shows that life triumphs where it is least expected, and that nature can be generous even in the humblest forms.
Interesting facts
In traditional Ukrainian medicine, dandelion was used to treat the liver, stomach, joints, and as a tonic. The roots were brewed as coffee, and the leaves were added to salads.
Dandelion is called “the sun on the grass” for its bright color and ability to open only under sunlight. In cloudy weather or at night, it folds its petals.
There are more than 200 flowers in one dandelion head, and each seed can travel tens of kilometers in the air thanks to a parachute-like bundle.
In Germany and the USA, the dandelion is being researched as a raw material for the production of natural rubber. In particular, the species Taraxacum kok-saghyz is considered as an alternative to the tropical rubber tree.
In the cooking of Europe and Asia, honey, jam, salads, wine, syrups, soups and even kvass are made from dandelion. Its bitterness gives dishes a special character.
According to ecologists, the dandelion is one of the most important plants for the preservation of pollinators in the urban environment. Removing it from lawns harms ecosystems.
In Japan and Korea, natural dyes for fabrics and paper are made from dandelions, which are used in ecological design.
Dandelion has become the heroine of many children’s fairy tales, poems and a symbol of wishes, because its fluff is called “wishes on the wind”.
Historical events on this day
1501 – navigator Amerigo Vespucci started an expedition to the west, during which he came to the conclusion: the lands discovered by Columbus are not India, but a completely new continent. The name “America” later came from Vespucci’s name.
1830 – Ecuador declared itself an independent republic, leaving Greater Colombia, a federal union of South American states created by Simón Bolívar.
1865 – the third university in the history of Ukraine – Novorossiysk – was solemnly opened in Odesa. Today it is the well-known Odesa National University named after I. AND. Mechnikova.
1909 – the first Giro d’Italia bicycle race started, which eventually became one of the three most prestigious multi-day races in the world, along with the Tour de France and the Vuelta.
1913 – an aviation breakthrough was made by Ihor Sikorskyi from Kyiv: the world’s first four-engine plane – “Russian Vytyaz” – flew into the sky. Its take-off weight was almost 5 tons — four times more than its counterparts at that time.
1918 – the Soviet People’s Commissariat of Food received extraordinary powers to requisition food from peasants. This became a harbinger of severe food distribution and famine.
1918 – in the USA postage stamps with an upside-down plane were accidentally printed – the misprint made these stamps one of the rarest and most expensive among philatelists.
1950 – the first races in the history of the Formula 1 championship were held in British Silverstone. This day became the starting point for the most popular motor sports competitions in the world.
1963 – Kuwait became the 111th member of the United Nations, cementing its international recognition since independence.
1981 – there was an attempt on Pope John Paul II in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican. He was seriously wounded by the Turkish terrorist Ali Agca. The pontiff survived, and later publicly forgave the attacker.
1989 – approximately two thousand Chinese students went on hunger strike in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, demanding political reforms. This was the culmination of a protest movement that was brutally suppressed by the army a few weeks later.
1990 – the first issue of the newspaper “Halychyna” – the first democratic regional publication of the Ivano-Frankivsk region in the times of the USSR – was published.
1991 – the First Congress of Poles of Ukraine took place in Kyiv – an important event in the context of the restoration of Polish national identity in independent Ukraine.
1991 – Winnie Mandela, then wife of Nelson Mandela, was accused of kidnapping and torture in one of South Africa’s biggest political dramas since apartheid.
1992 – a record space program took place: three American astronauts spent 8 hours and 29 minutes in outer space. It was the first spacewalk of three people at once.
2014 – during the battles for Slovyansk, pro-Russian militants set up an ambush near the village of Mayachka. As a result of shelling of a column of the 95th Separate Airmobile Brigade, seven Ukrainian soldiers were killed.
The birthday of a table knife
On May 13, 1637, Cardinal Armand Jean du Plessis Richelieu—the most influential adviser at the court of Louis XIII and the de facto helmsman of France—ordered all knives used by aristocrats to be rounded while eating. This day is considered the birthday of the table knife in its modern form. Formally, the order was issued on behalf of the king, but the idea belonged to the cardinal himself. So who to thank — Richelieu or Ludovic — is an open question.
The move wasn’t about security, as one might think. The reason is aesthetic. Richelieu noted that the refined French aristocracy had the habit of brushing their teeth with the sharp end of a knife right at the table. This outraged him so much that he decided to re-educate the aristocracy – not by moralizing, but instrumentally. The rounded end of the knife was supposed to eliminate the possibility of using it as a toothpick.
However, perhaps the cardinal had another, deeper goal. Under the conditions of court intrigues and poisonings that accompanied the French politics of the 17th century, every “peaceful” dinner could easily end in a deadly massacre. It is known that more than one noble guest died during the meal. So, perhaps the ban on sharp knives was also a prevention of murders at banquets.
The knife is the only cutlery that has a clear date of appearance in the historical calendar: May 13. Its path is from a universal tool to a work of art. The most expensive knife in the world – “Pearl of the East”, made by an American master, was sold for 2.1 million dollars. This is no longer a household tool, but a jewelry collectible.
In various cultures, the knife remained a symbol of power, dignity, and risk. In Japanese sumo, the referee always has a tanto knife with him. This is not a combat attribute, but a symbol of honor: the judge is obliged to commit ritual suicide – seppuku – in case of a mistake in the decision. A strict code that our officials can only dream of.
Archaeologists are convinced that the knife, made from fragments of bone or stone, was the first tool of primitive man. For thousands of years, it served as a hunting tool, a weapon, and a tool for economic affairs. The knife was not only a functional object, but also a sign of status. A free man had the right to carry a knife. Serf – no. Meat as the basis of nutrition, available only to the wealthy, also required separate devices for cutting it. So the knife was the privilege of those who could afford a regular meat feast.
In the Middle Ages, princes, barons, knights always had a personal knife with them – not as a weapon, but as their own table tool. It was worn on the belt or on the heel of the boot. Later, he was joined by a spoon, a borrowing from commoner life. And the fork was initially auxiliary – it was used by servants to cut meat for the master. Only with a reduction in the number of servants and a change in household habits did the masters themselves begin to use a knife and fork at the same time. This is how the classic European dining etiquette was born.
A survival tool, status symbol, weapon, eating utensil, and object of designer fantasy—it’s all a knife. And its table embodiment, it seems, began precisely when one cardinal wanted to accustom the nobility to good manners.
Inclusion of the Vatican into the Kingdom of Italy
On May 13, 1871, the Vatican was formally incorporated into the Kingdom of Italy. This ended the process of unification of Italy, which included the annexation of Rome, the last territory under the control of the Papal States. In connection with this, the Italian Parliament, which at that time was working in Florence and preparing to move to Rome, passed the so-called “Law of Guarantees”, which determined the status of the Pope after his loss of secular power.
The law contained a number of important provisions. The Pope was declared an inviolable person, and any attempt on him was equated to an attempt on the person of the king. He was guaranteed royal honors, the right to armed protection, complete freedom of diplomatic communication and conduct of church politics. The state also undertook to pay the Pope 3 million 225 thousand lire every year for the needs of the Holy See and the maintenance of the papal palaces, which remained the property of the Vatican. The freedom to convene conclaves and receive foreign ambassadors was also officially confirmed.
However, Pius IX, who at that time headed the Catholic Church, categorically rejected these conditions. Two days after the adoption of the law, he publicly declared himself a “prisoner of the Vatican” and did not leave its borders until his death. The loss of secular power, which the Pope had held for centuries as the head of the Papal State, caused deep resentment and a political crisis that went down in history as the Roman Question. Relations between the Apostolic Capital and the Italian state were frozen for a decade. The Popes did not recognize the legitimacy of the Italian kingdom in Rome, and the Italian authorities had no influence on church politics.
This situation lasted for almost 60 years, until it was resolved in 1929 through the mediation of Benito Mussolini. It was he who signed the Lateran Agreements with the representatives of the Holy See, which officially restored the independence of the Vatican as a sovereign state and settled the issues of mutual relations. This was how the long-term conflict between the spiritual and secular authorities in Italy was put to an end.
Creation of football club “Dynamo”
On May 13, 1927, the “Dynamo” football club was established in Kyiv. This is the most titled club in the history of football of the USSR and Ukraine. The team’s first officially registered game took place on July 17, 1928, when the Kyiv team drew 2:2 with Dynamo Odesa. During the Soviet period, “Dynamo” became a 13-time champion of the USSR, a 9-time winner of the USSR Cup, and also won the Super Cup three times. It is one of two clubs, along with Dynamo Moscow, that participated in all seasons of the top league of the Soviet championship. Dynamo Kyiv became the first non-Moscow team to win the USSR championship.
On the same day, Valery Vasyliovych Lobanovskyi is remembered – a person without whom the history of the Kyiv club would be completely different. He died on May 13, 2002 in Zaporizhzhia. One of the most authoritative coaches in world football, Lobanovskyi combined a strategic vision of the game with exceptional organizational skills. He said about himself: “A coach must learn all his life. If he got old, stopped learning, then he stopped being a coach. You can’t fool time. He puts the accents himself. And teaches, too.”
Under his leadership, Dynamo twice won the Cup Winners’ Cup, and Lobanovsky himself led the USSR national team three times, with which he became the vice-champion of Europe in 1988. In 2000–2001, he was the head coach of the national team of Ukraine. Colonel of the internal service, master of sports of the USSR, honored coach, knight of the “Badge of Honor” and Red Banner of Labor orders, as well as the Ukrainian “For Merit” II and III degrees. He was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine.
After his death, Lobanovskyi was awarded the UEFA Rubin Order and FIFA’s highest award, the Order of Merit, which is awarded for an outstanding contribution to the development of world football. In 2017, UEFA included him in the list of the ten most outstanding coaches in Europe for the entire history of the organization’s existence since 1954.
Lobanovsky has a famous saying: “Movement is life, rest is death.”
Recognizing the Act on State Independence of the Republic of Crimea as unconstitutional
On May 13, 1992, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine declared unconstitutional the act adopted by the Verkhovna Rada of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea on May 5, 1992, the so-called “Act on State Independence of the Republic of Crimea.” In its decision, the Ukrainian parliament gave the Crimean authorities until May 20 to cancel this document.
This decision was a response to Crimea’s attempt to legally go beyond the boundaries of the Ukrainian legal system. At that time, separatist sentiments were actively developing in Crimea, and the first and at the same time the last president of the Republic of Crimea, Yuri Meshkov, proposed holding a referendum on independence. Despite the fact that the Central Election Commission of Ukraine and the then President Leonid Kravchuk recognized such a referendum as illegal, it was nevertheless organized and held by the Crimean authorities.
The final point in this attempt at secession was made on March 17, 1995, when the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the law “On the repeal of the Constitution and some laws of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.” This law eliminated the office of the president of Crimea, canceled the Crimean constitution of 1992, and also leveled its legal consequences, despite the results of local votes.
In 1998, Crimea received a new Constitution, which established its status as an autonomous region within Ukraine, but with significantly limited powers. The document defined the legal boundaries of Crimean autonomy in accordance with the Constitution of Ukraine, and thus ended the period of unilateral attempts by Crimea to withdraw from the jurisdiction of the central government.
