On May 20, Bank Employees’ Day and Sign Language Interpreter’s Day are celebrated in Ukraine, and in the world – World Traumatologist Day, World Metrologist Day and World Bee Day. This day is also full of events that have left their mark in the political, scientific, cultural and military history of mankind.
Day of Bank Employees of Ukraine
This is a professional celebration of those who ensure the stable functioning of the banking system, manage cash flows, finance businesses and guarantee the reliability of cashless payments. This holiday is not too noisy, but it is deeply significant, because without the banking infrastructure it is impossible to imagine a modern economy, and even more so – the survival of the state in wartime.
The Day of Bank Employees in Ukraine appeared on the official level relatively recently. Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 316/2004 dated March 6, 2004 started this holiday, choosing the date for it on May 20. It was on this day in 1991 that the National Bank of Ukraine began its work as the central banking institution of an independent state.
This holiday is not limited to NBU employees. It is recognized by all experts in the banking industry: from managers of state and commercial banks to cashiers, analysts, risk managers, operators, currency operations and compliance specialists. It is a recognition of the daily work of people who ensure the financial stability of the country.
After the start of a full-scale war in February 2022, the banking system of Ukraine not only withstood, but also demonstrated the ability to adapt to extraordinary conditions. Working under the threat of attacks, communications and power outages, banks provided access to accounts, kept card systems functioning, exchanged currencies and provided loans to businesses.
Interesting facts
NBU is not only a regulator, but also the issuer of the hryvnia: it is the National Bank of Ukraine that prints money, issues commemorative coins and banknotes, and also determines the key discount rate that affects the cost of loans.
Ukraine is one of the first countries in Eastern Europe to introduce a banking application with a digital passport: “Action” is integrated into mobile applications of banks, which allows opening accounts without physical presence.
The oldest bank of Ukraine – the state-owned Ukreximbank – was founded in 1992, it serves state interests, finances export-import operations and participates in the restoration of infrastructure.
In 2022, during the war, banks continued to operate 90% of the time, even in frontline regions, thanks to mobile branches, Starlink satellite internet, and stand-alone generators.
Almost every second Ukrainian uses digital banks: over the past five years, Monobank, Privat24 and other mobile applications have completely changed the perception of banking services.
Ukraine is one of the countries with the smallest share of cash in circulation: more than 80% of transactions take place in cashless form, which is the result of successful digitalization and development of financial technologies.
Sign Language Interpreter Day in Ukraine
This is a professional holiday of those who help deaf and hard-of-hearing people to fully communicate, receive information, protect their rights and participate in public life every day. The holiday is not an official state day, but it has deep moral and professional significance. The initiator of its introduction was the Ukrainian Society of the Deaf (UTOG) in 2009 — an organization that unites thousands of people with hearing impairments throughout Ukraine.
A sign language translator performs a much more complex function than a simple word-to-word translation. It transforms emotionally and lexically rich speech into a system of gestures, takes into account the cultural characteristics of the deaf community, adapts complex concepts and legal formulations, helps in communication with doctors, lawyers, public services, the police, during study and work.
More than 200,000 people with hearing impairment live in Ukraine, of which about 40,000 are active members of UTOG. At the same time, there are about a thousand certified sign language interpreters. This creates a serious shortage of personnel, especially in the regions.
Interesting facts
Ukrainian Sign Language (UZHM) has its own syntax, which does not correspond to the structure of the Ukrainian language. For example, the order of words in a sentence is completely different.
Sign language is not only hand movements. Mimicry, body position, gaze and even pauses are important in it – without them the meaning can be completely lost.
In many countries, sign language interpreters have the status of court experts — their word is equated to an official translation in legal proceedings.
In 2022, the service “UTOG Online Service” was introduced in Ukraine, which allows deaf people to receive sign language translation via video communication, in particular in banks, notaries, and hospitals.
Sign language has its own dialects – in different regions of Ukraine, some gestures may have different variations, just like in oral speech.
There are more than 300 sign languages in the world, and they are as different from each other as Ukrainian is from Japanese. There is no “universal sign language”.
World Traumatologist Day
This is a professional holiday of doctors whose specialization includes emergency care for fractures, wounds, road accidents, combat injuries and complex injuries of the musculoskeletal system. This is a day of respect for specialists who are at the forefront of medicine, both literally and figuratively.
This is an unofficial but widely recognized medical professional holiday that unites orthopedic surgeons, emergency care specialists, medics from military hospitals, trauma departments and rehabilitation centers.
The initiative to honor traumatologists on May 20 appeared in the medical environment in the 2000s and spread among professional communities in a number of countries — in particular, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Georgia, the countries of the Balkan region, Spain, Mexico, and certain medical associations in the United States.
In the 21st century, traumatology has gone far beyond the “treatment of fractures”. This is a high-tech branch of medicine that works at the intersection of surgery, biomechanics, rehabilitation and emergency medicine.
A modern traumatologist has the skills to fix complex injuries, works with endoprosthetics, reconstructive operations, stabilization of damaged joints and restoration of mobility of patients after serious disasters. This is especially acutely felt in war conditions: it is traumatologists who receive the first wounded from the front, stabilize patients after mine-explosive injuries, amputations, and numerous shrapnel injuries.
Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, traumatology has become one of the most important medical specialties. Ukrainian doctors work in front-line hospitals, evacuation chains, military hospitals and civilian trauma centers that serve both military and civilian victims.
Operations are often performed in conditions of limited access to equipment, in an unstable environment, with the risk of repeated attacks. Despite this, Ukrainian doctors stabilize thousands of patients every month, saving limbs and lives.
Interesting facts
The first written references to the treatment of fractures belong to Hippocrates (5th century BC), who described methods of bone extraction and splinting using splints.
Modern surgical traumatology originates from the experience of the First World War, when there was a need for rapid treatment of the wounded right on the battlefield.
Ukraine has a powerful school of traumatology, which was formed back in Soviet times — in particular, in Kharkiv, Dnipro, Lviv, and Kyiv. Dnipro became one of the key centers of medical evacuation in 2022-2024.
The first Ukrainian 3D printing systems of titanium implants for orthopedics were tested in military hospitals in 2023-2024, which brought Ukraine closer to the advanced standards of the USA and Israel.
More than 30% of war victims have combined injuries that require the participation of not only a traumatologist, but also a neurosurgeon, a plastic surgeon, and a rehabilitation specialist.
World Metrologist Day
This is a professional celebration of specialists whose work ensures the accuracy of measurements in science, industry, medicine, energy, trade, ecology and security. This is not a celebration of abstract science, but a recognition of the fundamental role of measurement in our lives, from the operation of satellites and chemical laboratories to refueling and adjusting medical devices.
The initiator of the event was the International Committee of Weights and Measures (CIPM), which in 1999 started the annual observance of World Metrologist Day on May 20. It was on this day in 1875 that the Metric Convention was signed in Paris – an international agreement that laid the foundation for a unified system of measurements in the world.
This agreement created the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM), an organization that is still responsible for maintaining standards of measurement units today: meter, kilogram, second, ampere, kelvin, candela and mole. Thanks to these units, the world can measure, compare and standardize quantities regardless of country or field of activity.
Metrology is not just the “science of measurement” but the key to technology implementation. In the modern world, no sphere can do without an accurate metrological base. It is metrologists who guarantee that the electronic scales in the supermarket do not deceive, the sensors at the nuclear power plant work correctly, and the dosage of drugs in the syringe corresponds to the norm.
In medicine, metrology determines the accuracy of tomographs and x-ray doses. In industry, it provides settings for lasers, machines, and robotic systems. In the energy industry, it guarantees the accounting of electricity and gas.
In Ukraine, the metrological system is coordinated by the National Scientific Center “Institute of Metrology” in Kharkiv and the SE “Ukrmetrteststandart” in Kyiv. They support state standards of measurement units, carry out calibration of measuring equipment, attestation of devices and certification of products.
Interesting facts
The metric convention of 1875 was signed by 17 countries, including the Russian Empire, so the metric system officially began to operate on the territory of modern Ukraine in the 19th century.
In 2019, the definition of a kilogram was changed: instead of a reference cylinder made of platinum, the kilogram is now defined through physical constants — in particular through Planck’s constants. This made the system independent of physical objects.
The word “metrology” comes from the Greek “metron” – measure and “logos” – science. It is the science behind all other sciences.
In the space industry, an error of even a micrometer can destroy a multimillion-dollar mission. Therefore, NASA has its own metrology laboratories that test every sensor and assembly.
There are more than 60 national meter standards in the world — and they all have to be identical to within 0.000001 mm.
The most accurate clocks in the world are atomic clocks, which measure time with an error of 1 second every 300 million years. And it is metrologists who are responsible for the correctness of the UTC international time system.
World Bee Day
This day is designed to draw attention to the important role of bees and other pollinators in ensuring food security, biodiversity and sustainable development. The holiday, launched in 2017 by the UN General Assembly at the initiative of Slovenia, became part of the global strategy to protect ecosystems, because the disappearance of bees threatens the integrity of food chains and the future of humanity.
This date was chosen because Anton Janša was born on May 20, 1734, a Slovenian beekeeper and teacher of beekeeping at the imperial court of Maria Theresa in Austria. He is considered one of the founders of the modern rational approach to bee care, and Slovenia is a country with deep beekeeping traditions.
Bees pollinate about 75% of all cultivated plants grown in the world. Thanks to them, we have fruits, vegetables, nuts, berries, spices, coffee, cocoa, as well as oil crops and forage grasses. Without bees, the world would have mostly grains — rice, wheat, corn — but everything that gives food variety, nutrition, and flavor would be lost. In addition, bees play an indispensable role in the preservation of wild flora, pollinating more than 90% of wild flowering plants. They are the basis of biodiversity — the foundation of sustainable ecosystems.
Over the past decades, the number of bee populations has sharply decreased in many regions due to: – massive use of pesticides and herbicides;
– loss of natural habitats (deforestation, urbanization);
– climate change;
– appearance of new diseases and parasites, such as varoatosis;
– the industrialization of agriculture, which reduces the diversity of plants.
The UN warns: every year the world loses about 1% of pollinating insects. If this trend continues, humanity’s food security will be at risk.
Ukraine is one of the leading producers of honey in Europe and the world. According to various estimates, more than 2.5 million bee families are kept in the country. Beekeeping is not only a traditional industry, but also a source of income for tens of thousands of beekeepers. Ukrainian honey is exported to EU countries, the USA, Canada, and Japan. Ukraine is one of the five largest exporters of honey in the world.
However, bees in Ukraine also face threats. Mass poisoning due to agrochemicals, illegal use of dangerous pesticides, monoculture farming and the lack of a surveillance system lead to the loss of entire beehives. Beekeepers repeatedly took part in protests demanding legislative protection of bees.
Interesting facts
A bee produces only about 1/12 teaspoon of honey in its lifetime, but one colony of 60,000 bees produces up to 20 kg per season.
A bee has five eyes – two compound and three simple. This allows her to navigate even in low light.
Honey is the only product of animal origin that does not spoil. It was found in the tombs of the pharaohs in an edible state.
Bees have a “dance” – a way of transmitting information about the location of flowers. By the shape and angle of the dance, the scout bee tells others the exact coordinates of the nectar.
The queen (queen) lives up to 5 years and lays up to 2,000 eggs a day – the rest of the bees live only a few weeks or months.
There are more than 20,000 species of bees in the world, but only a few species are honeybees. Most are wild single pollinators, which are also critical.
Historical events on this day
325 year – Emperor Constantine I the Great convenes the first Ecumenical Council in the city of Nicaea (modern Turkey), which lays the foundations of the Christian doctrine and church hierarchy.
1449 year – King Afonso V of Portugal defeats an army of conspirators at the Battle of Alfarrobeira, consolidating his power after a difficult period of infighting.
1498 year Vasco da Gama, having made a historic sea voyage around Africa, reached the shores of India for the first time in the history of European navigation, opening a new trade route.
1783 year – In Versailles, a peace agreement is signed, which ends the war between France, Great Britain and the Netherlands – one of the stages of the geopolitical reformation of Europe after the American Revolution.
1809 year – The Kyiv People’s Men’s School begins to operate in Kyiv – one of the first educational institutions, which will later become the famous school No. 75.
1873 year – Levi Strauss launches blue jeans for the first time on the market – clothes that will turn from a work uniform into a global fashion symbol.
1875 year – In Paris, 17 countries sign the Metric Convention — a document that initiates the global implementation of a single metric system and the creation of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures.
1899 year – In New York, for the first time, a driver is arrested for speeding: Jacob German was speeding at a speed of 20 km/h, which caused the indignation of the law enforcement officers.
1905 year – In the capital, the Mykhailivsky mechanical lift is being opened – a new object of Kyiv infrastructure of the beginning of the 20th century.
1927 year – American Charles Lindbergh takes off from New York to Paris, starting the world’s first non-stop transatlantic flight, which will last 33 hours.
1961 year – The Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine was established — the highest award in the field of culture, literature and art.
1961 year – The Lviv Regional Court sentences Levko Lukyanenko to death for the attempt to create the Ukrainian Workers’ and Peasants’ Union — one of the symbolic episodes of the struggle for independence.
1980 year – Quebec holds a referendum on independence from Canada: almost 60% of the population votes for preserving the unity of the country.
1985 year – Israel carries out a large-scale exchange: 1,150 Palestinians have been released in exchange for three Israeli soldiers captured by terrorist groups.
2019 year – In Ukraine, the inauguration of the sixth president, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, is taking place, who is coming to power with a new political course.
2022 year – After long battles, Russian troops capture Mariupol, a strategic Ukrainian city on the Azov coast, which has become a symbol of heroic resistance.
