CALENDAR

DATES. EVENTS. PEOPLE.

March 23rd is World Meteorological Day — a professional holiday for weather forecasters of all countries. In 1950, the convention of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), a specialised agency of the United Nations, came into force. It is celebrated since 1961. In the Republic of Belarus, it is known as the Day of Workers of the Hydrometeorological Service.
  

On March 23rd, 1876, a Russian engineer Pavel Yablochkov received a patent for the ‘electric candle’ he invented, which became the first electric light source. The success of Yablochkov’s candle exceeded all expectations. Soon the ‘Russian light’ lit up city streets, shops and theatres in many countries. This invention marked the beginning of the practical use of electric charge for lighting purposes.


On March 23rd, 1900, archaeologists have discovered the remains of the legendary Labyrinth — the palace of the Minotaur in Crete. As a result of these archaeological studies, one of the greatest ancient civilisations, completely unknown until then, was discovered. This civilisation existed between the primitive eras and antiquity and was called the Minoan.


March 26th is Day of Workers of Consumer Services for the Population and Housing and Communal Services in the Republic of Belarus. The municipal industry in Belarus is one of the most ancient, while its creation dates back to the first millennium. The chronicles of the 9th-13th centuries mention the existence of 35 cities in this territory. Today, about 7.6 million people, or 78.6 percent of the total population of the country, live in more than two hundred cities and towns. The comfort and cosiness of cities is in the hands of workers in the housing and communal sector.


On March 27th, 1878, an application was filed for the issuance of privileges to the peasant Fyodor Abramovich Blinov for the ‘wagon with endless rails’ invented by him — the world’s first caterpillar tractor.

 
March 27th is World Theatre Day. It was established in Vienna at the 9th World Congress of the International Theatre Institute under UNESCO in 1961. It usually takes place under a single motto: ‘Theatre as a means of mutual understanding and strengthening of peace between peoples.’

 
On March 28th, 1483, Santi Raphael was born (1483-1520), a great Italian painter, graphic artist and architect, representative of the Umbrian school. He is the author of The Sistine Madonna, The Mass in Bolsena, Madonna and Child with Saint John the Baptist paintings, etc.


On March 28th, 1868, Maxim Gorky was born (1868-1936), a Russian writer and public figure, honorary academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. Founder of a number of magazines and book series. The author of the Mother, Foma Gordeyev, Three of Them novels, The Lower Depths, Summerfolk, Barbarians plays, etc. He was one of the first to support Belarusian literature, highly appreciated the work of Yanka Kupala and Yakub Kolas. 


On March 28th, 1658, the sad-sack story of slavery inside Africa began. The penetration of Europeans into Africa began in the 15th and 16th centuries. The greatest contribution to the development of the continent at the first stage was made by the Spaniards and the Portuguese. Already at the end of the 15th century, the Portuguese actually controlled the western coast of Africa and launched an active slave trade in the 16th century. Following them, almost all Western European powers rushed to Africa: Holland, Spain, Denmark, France, England and Germany.


On March 30th, 1853, Vincent van Gogh was born (1853-1890), a Dutch post-impressionist painter whose work had a timeless influence on 20th-century painting. He created more than 2,100 works, including about 870 oil paintings in over ten years of creativity. Among them are portraits, self-portraits, landscapes, still lifes and panels depicting olive trees, cypresses, wheat fields and sunflowers. Sunflowers is one of his most famous paintings.


On March 30th, 1867, an agreement for the sale of Alaska by Russia to the United States of America for $7,200,000 (11 million tsarist rubles) was signed in Washington. Alaska was a possession of Russia in North America. The decision to sell it was taken when it became clear that the cost of maintaining and protecting this remote and vulnerable territory would greatly exceed the potential profit.