Today, on August 9, all book lovers can join World Book Day. The event originated in the United States, but quickly became popular in many countries around the world, UNN writes.
The first books are considered to be ancient manuscripts made on papyrus and parchment.
The first printed edition in the world is considered to be a book printed by woodblock printing in Korea in 751. In Europe, this method began to be used only in the 14th century. To create a book, a wooden mold with the image of a page was first cut out, then moistened with ink and imprinted on paper. This way, many copies of one book could be made quickly.
In 1045, China developed a collapsible ceramic matrix for printing books. It looked like this: molten wax was poured into a shallow tray, on which characters were placed. The characters were aligned with the help of a flat board, and after the wax had completely hardened, the matrix could be used for printing.
The popularity of book publishing in the world skyrocketed in the 18th century. Today, people have the opportunity to read books in electronic form and listen to audio books. Nevertheless, the popularity of printed books is not decreasing.
Since 1994, on the initiative of the United Nations, events have been held to mark the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples.
The aim of this event is to preserve the culture and rights of indigenous peoples who have always lived in a certain territory, preserved their identity and cultural values. Indigenous peoples are subject to assimilation in many countries around the world.
Today, indigenous peoples include about 370 million people living in 80 countries around the world.
In Ukraine, indigenous peoples include Crimean Tatars, Karaites, Gagauzes, Crimean Greeks, and Krymchaks.
Also on August 9, the victims of the atomic bombing of the Japanese city of Nagasaki are honored.
On August 9, 1945, at 11:00 a.m. local time, an American bomber dropped a 4.5-ton bomb with a yield of 20 kilotons on the city.
The bomb exploded at an altitude between the main targets, Mitsubishi's steel and weapons production facilities and its own torpedo factory.
More than 70 thousand people died immediately. About 35 thousand more died in the first days from injuries and lethal doses of radiation. A large number of people died of radiation-related illnesses for years.
According to the church calendar, today is the Day of Remembrance of St. Matthew the Apostle.
Matthew was one of the younger disciples of Jesus Christ. After Judas Iscariot betrayed him, he took his place among the 12 apostles.
He preached in many lands and converted many people to Christianity. He had the gift of healing and miracles.
According to legend, Matthew was captured by pagans. They first stoned him and then cut off his head.
Matvii, Makar, Yakiv, Iryna, and Marharyta celebrate their name days on August 9.