On April 4, the world celebrates the International Day for Mine Awareness and Mine Action Assistance, NATO Foundation Day, International Internet Day, International Stray Animals Day and International Children’s Yoga Day. Even on this day, in different years, events took place that influenced science, technology, international politics and culture.
International Day of Mine Awareness and Mine Action Assistance
The day was established by the UN General Assembly in 2005 to draw attention to the problems related to mines and explosive remnants of war, and to support activities aimed at humanitarian demining.
The main objective of this day is to raise public awareness of the risks associated with mines, explosive objects, unexploded ordnance, and to support victims, including through medical care, rehabilitation and social integration. An important component is educational work among the population, especially in conflict zones, where the risk of encountering a mine is extremely high.
The United Nations, through the Mine Action Service (UNMAS), coordinates efforts in more than 40 countries around the world, supporting both governmental and non-governmental organizations involved in demining, awareness raising and victim assistance. Special attention is paid on this day to children, who are a vulnerable group and often become victims of explosions due to their curiosity and ignorance. This day is also an opportunity to honor the heroic work of sappers, volunteers, medics and humanitarian workers who risk their lives every day to make the territories safe for the civilian population.
Interesting facts
According to UN estimates, more than 50 million landmines remain in 60 countries. The most mined territories are in Afghanistan, Cambodia, Iraq, Yemen, Colombia, Ukraine and Syria.
Demining one square meter of land can cost anywhere from $10 to $1,000, while the cost of the mine itself is just a few dollars.
As of 2025, Ukraine is one of the most mined countries in the world. According to the government, up to a third of its territory remains potentially dangerous.
In 1997, the Ottawa Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Landmines was adopted, which prohibits the production, stockpiling, use and provides for the destruction of existing landmines. As of today, 164 states have joined the convention.
Mine detection dogs are able to detect mines with an accuracy of more than 90%. They are specially trained for several months, and they are indispensable assistants during humanitarian demining.
In 2023, according to the Landmine Monitor, landmines and explosive remnants of war killed more than 4,700 people, of which about 85% were civilians.
Explosive objects can retain their lethality decades after hostilities have ended. For example, ammunition from the First World War is still found in France.
NATO Foundation Day
This is an annual date that is celebrated on April 4. It was on this day in 1949 that the North Atlantic Treaty was signed in Washington, which initiated the creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization — NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). In 2025, NATO will be 76 years old.
This day is considered the «birthday» of the alliance, a political-military association that emerged as a response to the threat of the spread of Soviet influence in Europe after the Second World War. Its founders were 12 countries: the USA, Canada, Great Britain, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Portugal.
The main principle of NATO is collective defense: according to Article 5 of the treaty, an attack on one of the member countries is considered an attack on all. This provision was applied for the first time in history after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 in the USA. NATO is not only a military alliance, but also a political association that should promote stability, democracy and cooperation in the Euro-Atlantic space.
Interesting facts
At the time of its creation in 1949, NATO united 12 countries. In 2024, Sweden joined the alliance, becoming the 32nd member state.
Ukraine is not a member of NATO, but has been participating in partnership programs since 1991, and after 2022, cooperation has significantly deepened.
NATO headquarters has been located in Brussels, Belgium since 1967.
The largest financial and military donor to NATO remains the United States of America — its contribution to the budget of the alliance is about 70%.
The alliance does not have its own army, but in the event of a threat, NATO can quickly mobilize multinational rapid response forces.
Since the early 1990s, NATO has been involved in peacekeeping and stabilization missions in various parts of the world: in the Balkans, in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, as well as in patrolling the airspace over Eastern Europe.
Although NATO originated as a defensive response to the USSR, the alliance expanded eastward after its collapse. This expansion has drawn criticism from Russia, which perceives it as a threat to its security.
In 2023, at the summit in Vilnius, it was confirmed that Ukraine’s future in NATO is not only a political statement, but a strategic goal of the Alliance.
International Internet Day
The event has symbolic and cultural significance: it was on this day in 636 that Saint Isidore of Seville died, who in 1998 was approved by Pope John Paul II as the patron saint of the Internet, recognizing his role as a thinker who sought to systematize human knowledge—just as the Internet connects information into a global digital network. This day became an occasion to think not only about the spiritual dimension, but also about the real impact of the Internet on humanity.
The Internet is the largest information network in human history. From its origins as the ARPANET military network in 1969, it has evolved into an infrastructure that spans the globe and permeates all areas of life—from personal communication to the global economy, from politics to medicine, from education to culture.
Thanks to the Internet, we have access to an almost unlimited amount of knowledge at any given time. Humanity has received new forms of communication, cooperation, creativity and cognition. Today, more than 5.3 billion people in the world are active Internet users.
The Internet has become the driver of globalization. People can communicate across continents, work remotely, study at universities in another hemisphere, conduct business online, and form international movements and campaigns. It gives voice to those previously denied access to media and opens channels for civic participation.
The Internet has also changed politics, science, and medicine. Thanks to digital databases, global research, epidemic tracking, telemedicine have appeared. In the wars of the 21st century, the Internet has become both a weapon and a means of protection — both a space for propaganda and a platform for resistance.
Interesting facts
The first attempts to create a global communication network were made in the 1960s in the USA within the framework of the ARPANET military project. The first ARPANET signal was sent on October 29, 1969.
The term Internet was first officially used in 1974 in the work of Vint Cerf and Robert Kahn about a network based on TCP protocols.
The World Wide Web, which made the Internet accessible and visually oriented, was created in 1989 by the British scientist Tim Berners-Lee.
As of 2025, more than 5.3 billion people in the world are using the Internet — more than 65% of the global population, but at the same time, more than 2.5 billion people are still not connected.
The countries of Northern Europe, as well as South Korea, Singapore, and Japan have the highest share of Internet penetration.
Internet traffic is growing by tens of percent every year. More than 1 billion hours of video are watched on YouTube every day, and more than 8 billion searches are performed on Google.
Ukraine has one of the fastest growth rates of digitalization. In recent years, more than 90% of Ukrainian households have access to mobile or fixed Internet.
For all its benefits, the Internet is also a source of digital threats—from misinformation to cyberbullying—that require the development of digital ethics, education, and legislation.
In 2023, for the first time in history, more than half of the world’s population will make online purchases.
International Day of Stray Animals
This day is not an official holiday declared by the UN, but is actively supported by animal protection organizations, veterinarians, volunteers and everyone who works for the benefit of homeless animals in different countries of the world. It was launched on April 4, 2010 in the Netherlands during a conference of animal rights activists who wanted to create a global date that would help draw attention to the problem of stray animals. 4.04 was chosen not by chance: this date is easy to remember and symbolizes the need for interaction — man and animal, heart and action.
The main goal of the day is not only to draw attention to the suffering of millions of homeless cats and dogs, but also to remind about human responsibility, the need for sterilization, vaccination, finding homes for animals, as well as the importance of humane treatment of all living creatures.
Interesting facts
International animal protection organizations estimate that there are more than 200 million homeless dogs and more than 400 million homeless cats in the world.
In Ukraine, according to various estimates, the number of stray animals varies from 50 to 100 thousand in large cities, and in general — about a million in the country.
In many countries, the principle of TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) — catch, sterilize, return — is in effect, which is recognized as the most humane and effective practice for reducing the population of stray animals.
In some countries, such as the Netherlands or Italy, homeless animals have official status and the right to protection, medical care and a life outside, as long as they do not pose a threat.
In Ukraine, the first official municipal shelter for animals was created in Kyiv in the 2000s. Since then, shelters have been operating in many cities, but their number and funding are often insufficient.
Every year, international campaigns for the adoption of stray animals are held in the world. For example, the campaign «Adopt, don’t shop» has become a slogan for many charitable initiatives.
Flash mobs are popular on social media these days, when people post animal rescue stories to show how an animal’s life changes after finding a home.
Many animal rights activists insist that the main reason for the increase in the number of homeless animals is the irresponsible attitude of people: the refusal of sterilization, the expulsion of animals to the street, the lack of a culture of keeping them.
International Day of Children’s Yoga
This day was started in 2016 by the American yoga teacher Theresa Ann Power, the author of popular books and programs on yoga for children. The goal of the event is to popularize yoga as a simple, accessible and fun way to improve the physical and psycho-emotional health of children.
This is an unofficial international holiday, but it is supported every year by schools, sports clubs, kindergartens, public organizations, libraries and even municipalities in more than 50 countries around the world. Participants in events around the world simultaneously perform a short 5-minute yoga program. The idea is that every child, regardless of age or training, can try to feel the effect of simple yogic practices.
The founder of the day, Theresa Ann Power, emphasized that children face stress, attention problems, sleep disorders and hypodynamia every day. Yoga, in her opinion, is a tool that helps children learn to relax, to be aware of their body, breathing and emotions.
Interesting facts
For the first time, the International Day of Children’s Yoga in 2016 reached more than 25 thousand children in 100 cities of 22 countries.
The program of activities is specially adapted to children’s characteristics — short classes, simple poses, interactive elements and playfulness.
Scientific studies show that regular yoga practice in children improves attention, reduces anxiety and promotes emotional stability. She also helps children with hyperactivity, autism and sensory disorders.
In many schools in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Australia and India, yoga classes are officially included in the curriculum as part of physical or social-emotional development.
As part of the celebration, children’s yoga marathons, flash mobs, charity classes for low-income families, video lessons and interactive workshops are organized.
In Ukraine, the tradition of celebrating this day is just forming, but some children’s yoga studios and private schools are already joining the initiative.
The five-minute yoga formula proposed by the organizers includes basic poses (such as tree, cat-cow, warrior), breathing exercises and a moment of silence.
The motto of the International Day of Children’s Yoga: «5 minutes can change a child’s world.»
Historical events on this day
1900 — near the Greek island of Antikythera, divers discovered a mysterious mechanism, which was later named Antikythera. It was an ancient Greek device designed to calculate the movement of celestial bodies. It is considered one of the most complex engineering inventions of antiquity.
1932 — American biochemist Charles Glenn King from the University of Pittsburgh was the first to isolate vitamin C. This discovery played a key role in the fight against scurvy. However, at the same time, it was independently discovered by the Hungarian scientist Albert St. Gyordy, who later received the Nobel Prize for it.
1949 — in Washington, 12 Western countries signed the North Atlantic Treaty, which marked the beginning of the creation of NATO. The purpose of the agreement was to ensure joint security in the face of a potential Soviet threat.
1969 — in Houston, doctors Domingo Liotta and Denton Cooley implanted an artificial heart into a person for the first time in the history of medicine. This was a breakthrough in cardiac surgery and the beginning of a new era in transplantology.
1973 — the World Trade Center complex was solemnly opened in New York. Its architect was Minoru Yamasaki. The Twin Towers became a symbol of the economic power of the United States until they were destroyed during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
1975 — two young enthusiasts, Bill Gates and Paul Allen, founded Microsoft. It later became a leader in the software industry and played a key role in the mass adoption of personal computers.
1983 — the first flight of the American space shuttle «Challenger» took place. This event was part of NASA’s multiple-use manned flight program. The shuttle spent nine days in space.
2004 — Ukrainian Wikipedia received an official interface in Ukrainian. This was an important step in the development of digital culture and the dissemination of Ukrainian knowledge.
2007 — the business center «Parus» — one of the first modern skyscrapers in the capital — was solemnly opened in Kyiv. It became a symbol of a new stage in the architectural development of the city.
2023 — Finland became a full member of NATO. This decision was taken against the background of new security challenges in Europe and became a historic step in changing the status of the country, which remained outside the bloc for a long time.
