March 14: International Day of Rivers, World Kidney Day

Today, March 14, various events are taking place in many countries around the world on the occasion of the International Day of Rivers or the fight against dams, UNN writes.

The event was launched to raise public awareness of the negative impact of dams on river ecosystems and to engage humanity in the fight against dams.

Of the 177 largest rivers in the world (1,000 kilometers or more in length), only one-third have no dams or other structures on their main channel. 21 major rivers are free to flow from the source to the mouth.

Another 43 large tributaries of major rivers, such as the Congo, Amazon and Lena, remain unregulated. The construction of dams on rivers is a dangerous trend that threatens the nature of the entire planet.

Also today, on the second Thursday of March, you can join the World Kidney Day.

Every day, the average human kidney filters 112 to 144 liters of blood and produces 0.94 to 1.7 liters of urine per day. The kidneys act as a filter, removing waste and excess fluid from the body. The kidneys also produce hormones that regulate various bodily functions.

The risk factors for kidney disease include diabetes, high blood pressure, and age 60 and older. Normally, the kidneys are the size of a fist or 10-12 centimeters.

Today, you can still join several science-related holidays, in particular, math.

On the occasion of the birthday of the prominent scientist Albert Einstein, who was born on March 14, 1879, today is the Day of Questions and the Day of Genius.

In addition, today is the International Pi Day. The event was invented by physicist Larry Shaw in 1987, when he realized that the American system records the date of March 14 as 3.14, thus coinciding with the beginning of the mathematical constant.

"Pi" is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. It was known in the ancient world - Archimedes calculated it precisely, and in 1706 the number symbol itself appeared - "pi".

Later on, it was decided to celebrate Pi Day as a day of mathematics.

Since 2013, the International School Feeding Day has been celebrated on the second Thursday of March.

According to the World Food Program, 370 million children around the world receive meals in schools provided by their government every day.

Each year, the World Food Program provides school meals or take-home rations to about 17 million children in more than 60,000 schools around the world.

According to the church calendar, today is the Day of Remembrance of St. Benedict, who lived in the fourth and fifth centuries.

Benedict was born into a wealthy family and received a good education. When Benedict was 20 years old, he decided to devote his life to the service of the Lord, and settled in solitude in the mountains, where he spent almost all his time in prayer.

Gradually, Benedict gained many disciples and followers. He founded a monastery and the well-known Benedictine Order.

Benedict, Rostislav, and Mykhailo celebrate their name days on March 14.