August 13: International Armadillo Day, World Left Handedness Day

Today, on August 13, animal rights activists and wildlife lovers can join an event dedicated to one of the most unique animals on our planet - the International Armadillo Day, UNN reports.

Armadillos are native to South America, with only one species living in North America. It is believed that armadillos lived in the time of dinosaurs, their ancestors were glyptodonts. Their body length exceeded three meters and they weighed two tons.

Currently, the body length of armored battleships does not exceed one and a half meters, and their weight is 90 kilograms.

Armadillos are the only mammals on the planet whose bodies are completely covered with a hard shell. But their uniqueness does not end there. Armadillos have poor eyesight, but they have excellent hearing and smell. Digging in the ground for their homes, these animals can rhyme their breath for six minutes.

Due to human activity, the armadillo population is declining, and giant armadillos are on the verge of extinction.

Since 1992, World Left Handed Day has been celebrated on August 13.  

In the Middle Ages, people whose main hand was left rather than right were considered descendants of the devil. They were persecuted and could even be killed.

In some countries, for a long time, left-handed children were forced to learn to write with the right hand. This caused stress in children and led to mental problems.

Today, about 800 million people on our planet are left-handed. This is about 10-15% of the total population of the Earth.

At the same time, some scientists believe that about half of the world's population could have been left-handed before.

The reasons why people are born or become left-handed are still not exactly known. First of all, there is a genetic factor. But it is also believed that a child can become a left-handed person under the influence of certain external factors.

According to the church calendar, today is the day of remembrance of St. Maximus the Confessor, who lived in Byzantium in the sixth and seventh centuries.

Maxim was well educated and held a high position at the emperor's court. However, he later decided to retire from worldly life and took monastic vows.

At the time, there was an irreconcilable struggle between representatives of different streams of Christianity. Maksym was arrested for his views, severely tortured, and then sent into exile, where he died.

Maksim, Konstantin, Alexey, and Oksana celebrate their name days today.