Everest Day, International Day of UN Peacekeepers, World Otter Day. What else can be celebrated on May 29

Today, on May 29, climbers and mountain lovers can join the event dedicated to the highest peak of our planet - Everest Day, UNN reports.

It was on May 29, 1953, that New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepalese Sherpa Tenzing Norgay made the first successful ascent of Mount Everest in history.

The first known attempt to climb Mount Everest, which is 8848.86 meters above sea level, was made in June 1924 by the British George Mallory and George Irvine. They never returned to the camp and their bodies were never found. There is a version that they did reach the top of Everest and died on their way back.

After that, different groups of climbers made several more attempts to conquer Everest, and only the 1953 attempt was successful.

Since 2002, May 29 has been the International Day of UN Peacekeepers.

It was on this day in 1948 that the UN Security Council established the first peacekeeping mission in Palestine.

Until the 60s of the twentieth century, UN peacekeepers were of an observational nature. However, later, for the first time, armed peacekeeping contingents, which we all know as "blue helmets," were created.

To date, the UN has conducted more than 70 peacekeeping missions. Most of them are considered successful. The most failed mission was in Rwanda, where it failed to prevent civil conflict, massacres and genocide of the local population.

Ukraine first joined the UN peacekeeping contingents in 1992 in the former Yugoslavia.

In total, since 1992, 44 thousand Ukrainian peacekeepers have participated in 36 missions in Europe, Asia and Africa. Fifty-five people have been killed.

Today, environmentalists and wildlife enthusiasts can join the events dedicated to the World Otter Day.

Otters are aquatic mammals that live on all continents except Antarctica and Australia. The main habitat of otters is lakes, ponds, streams, river mouths, as well as swamps and wetlands.

Due to human destruction of the ecosystems familiar to these animals and poaching for fur, the population of these animals began to decline in the twentieth century. However, timely measures and some natural factors stopped this process.

In Ukraine, according to scientists, the population of river otters varies between 10-12 thousand individuals.

Also today, events are taking place on the occasion of World Healthy Digestion Day.

The goal of the event is to get people into the habit of eating right, as it is an improper diet that leads to most digestive diseases. Preventive measures include quitting alcohol and smoking, preparing a weekly diet, and maintaining a proper work and rest schedule.

The average person digests about 500 kilograms of food per year. About 95% of the pleasure hormone  (serotonin) is produced in the intestines.

On the last Wednesday of May, events dedicated to the International Multiple Sclerosis Day are held.

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune progressive disease associated with the degeneration of myelin (the protective film of the nerve), affecting the optic nerve, brain and spinal cord. The body produces antibodies against its own nervous system, which damages and destroys myelin. This process disrupts the connection between the brain and other parts of the body. Eventually, the nerves themselves are damaged, and this is an irreversible process that leads to impaired basic human functions such as movement, coordination, sensitivity, and vision.

The disease most often affects women and people of working age (21-45 years). The highest incidence is among Caucasians living in temperate climates. There are about three million people with multiple sclerosis worldwide.

According to the church calendar, today is the Day of Remembrance of the Holy Martyr Theodosia.

According to legend, Theodosia lived in seventh-century Constantinople. From a young age, she decided to devote her life to serving the Lord.

When the Emperor Leo ordered the destruction of the icons, the nun Theodosia strongly opposed it. She was thrown into prison and tortured to death.

It is believed that people who came to Theodosia's grave were healed of the most serious diseases.

On May 29, Feodosia, Maria, Andriy, and Konstantin celebrate their name days.