World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day

 

World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day is celebrated on May 8 to commemorate the birth anniversary of the founder of the Red Cross and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Henry Dunant. He was born on 8th May 1828 in Geneva and was the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

On this day the principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent movement were celebrated. World Red Cross Day is also known as World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day. It is dedicated to the people who suffer from the shortage of food, several natural calamities, war as well as from and epidemic diseases. Basic amenities are also provided to the people who are really in need. Many governments and private organisations become active members to help needy people who suffer from several disasters.

World Red Cross Day: History

After World War I, Red Cross was introduced as a major contribution to the peace and set up an international commission at14th International Conference of the Red Cross to study the Red Cross Truce. In 1934 the report of the Red Cross Truce was presented and its principles were approved at the 15th International Conference in Tokyo to get applicable all across the world in different regions.

In 1946 in World War II, the Tokyo proposal was put into effect. The possibility of an annual celebration was asked by the Board of Governors of the "League of the Red Cross Societies (LORCS)", later called the General Assembly of the International Federation of Red Cross Societies. Two years later the proposal of celebrating annually World Red Cross Day was adopted on 8 May, 1948, the birth anniversary of Henry Dunant, the founder of the Red Cross. In 1984 officially it was named “World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day”.

Various programmes and events are organised by the International Committee of the Red Cross and its members to facilitate and promote their humanitarian activities. They even motivate people to protect their own lives and take care of the dignity of the victims. This day is celebrated by all the sections of the Red Cross organisations to help people suffering from floods, earthquakes i.e. natural disasters and protect their life from emergencies.

What are the Seven Principles of the Red Cross Society?

The seven main principles of Red Cross Society are:

1. Humanity: The main aim is to protect life, health and to ensure respect for every human being. It promotes mutual understanding, friendship, and cooperation amongst all peoples.

2. Impartiality: No discrimination should be made on the basis of nationality, race, religious beliefs, class, or political opinions. The first and foremost motive is to help the people solely on the basis of their needs and to give priority to the most urgent cases of distress.

3. Neutrality: The main purpose of this principle is to keep everyone neutral in providing help and the movement should not be affected by political, racial, religious, or ideological controversies.

4. Independence: We all know that this movement is independent. The National Societies, while auxiliaries in the humanitarian services of their governments and subject to the laws of their respective countries, must always maintain their autonomy so that they may be able at all times to act in accordance with the principles of the movement.

5. Voluntary Service: It is a voluntary relief movement not prompted in any manner by desire for gain.

6. Unity: This organisation must carry on its humanitarian work throughout its territory.

7. Universality: The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, in which all societies and people have equal status and share equal liabilities and duties in helping each other, is worldwide.

 

World Donkey Day

 

On May 8, we celebrate World Donkey Day, dedicated to raising awareness about the plight of these remarkable animals and recognizing their historical contributions to society.

The donkey, a member of the equidae family, was first domesticated approximately 6,000 years ago in North Africa, initially valued for its milk and meat.

World Donkey Day was established through the efforts of Razik Ark, a scientist specializing in desert animals, who sought to highlight the significance of donkeys in enhancing human life.

Throughout history, donkeys have served various roles crucial to human civilization. Today, they remain indispensable in agriculture and rural settings, as well as for transporting goods, although their utilization is declining in many regions.

Let's take this opportunity to appreciate and protect these loyal companions and acknowledge their enduring impact on our societies.

World Donkey Day: History

World Donkey Day commemorates the enduring partnership between humans and donkeys, tracing back through centuries of shared history. These resilient animals have served as indispensable partners in transportation, construction, agriculture, and even warfare. Today, they continue to play vital roles in various spheres of human activity, including as beloved attractions in zoos worldwide.

The modern Donkey we know today is a result of cross-breeding between the Somalian and Nubian subspecies. Dating back to 4000 BCE, they've been integral to human civilization, primarily in Nubia, offering versatility as pack animals compared to oxen. Their influence spread globally as cultures migrated, becoming ubiquitous worldwide.

Donkeys are also the ancestors of mules, a hybrid breed combining the strengths of horses and donkeys. However, mules are mostly sterile, hindering breeding efforts. Despite exceptions, there's never been a viable breeding stock of pure mules due to the absence of breedable mule stallions. Interestingly, female mules have occasionally produced seemingly purebred horses when bred with horses.

These resilient pack animals predate modern energy sources, providing the driving force for generating wealth in early civilizations. Many regard them as fundamental to society's development, akin to the importance of writing, pottery, and metallurgy.

World Donkey Day, conceived by scientist Raziq Ark, celebrates their enduring spirit and contributions. Initiated in 2018 through a Facebook group highlighting donkey stories worldwide, the day has gained traction in media coverage, including features on lesser-known donkey facts, like a female being called a Jenny.

World Athletics Day

 

World Athletics Day is celebrated on May 7 every year. This day aims to promote sports and encourage people, especially the youth, to participate in athletics. It is an annual event dedicated to honouring athletes and instilling values such as dedication and motivation that we can learn from sports. The day highlights the importance of sports and its positive impact on physical and mental well-being. 

HISTORY

World Athletics Day was established by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), now known as World Athletics, in 1996. Since then, it has been celebrated annually to raise awareness about athletics and its benefits. The day also serves as a platform to encourage people of all ages and abilities to engage in sports activities.

Sigmund Freud's Birth Anniversary

 

Sigmund Freud, born on 6 May 1856, in Freiberg, Austrian Empire, was a neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for treating psychopathology through dialogue between a patient and a psychoanalyst. His groundbreaking theories on the unconscious mind, dreams, and the importance of sexuality in human development shaped the field of psychology and continue to influence it today.

Freud's major works include The Interpretation of Dreams (1899), The Psychopathology of Everyday Life (1901), and Civilization and Its Discontents (1930). Despite facing controversy and criticism during his lifetime and after, Freud's ideas have left an indelible mark on the study of the human mind and modern psychology.

Freud's circle of colleagues and followers included prominent figures like Carl Jung and Alfred Adler, who eventually developed their own psychological theories.

Napoleon Bonaparte's Death Anniversary

Napoleon Bonaparte, who passed away on 5 May 1821, aged 51, was a French Emperor.

One of the most controversial, influential and celebrated figures in human history, Napoleon seized upon the opportunities created by the outbreak of the French Revolution in1789 and became a general at age 29.

After the French Directory gave him control of the armed forces, his early military victories established him as a national hero, and he engineered a coup in 1799 that made him First Consul of the Republic. He went further and declared himself Emperor of the French in 1804.

Napoleon's stunning military victories over his European enemies - at Austerlitz in 1805, Friedland in 1807 and Wagram in 1809 - solidified his dominance of virtually the entire continent, and confirmed the rapid spread of his empire.

After launching the Peninsular War in Spain, Napoleon invaded Russia in 1812, which ended in disaster and the collapse of his Grand Army. A Sixth Coalition defeated him at Leipzig, invaded France and forced him to abdicate in 1814. He was exiled to Elba, where he escaped and took control of France. He was finally defeated by a Seventh Coalition at Waterloo and exiled to St Helena in the South Atlantic where he died in 1821.

Napoleon's foreign and domestic achievements, particularly the Napoleonic Code, greatly influenced the foundations of most of the modern Western world.

Karl Marx' Birth Anniversary

 

Karl Marx, born on 5 May 1818, was a German philosopher and revolutionary is of the most influential figures in modern human history.

In 1848 he published with Friedrich Engels "The Communist Manifesto" in Brussels describing how in the class struggle the workers could seize power from the elites. His many writings continued to build upon his ideas, most notably "Das Kapital" published in 1867, detailing his theory of capitalism and its self-destructive tendencies.

As a result of Marx's ideas revolutionary socialist governments espousing Marxist concepts took power in a variety of countries in the 20th century, leading to the formation of states such as the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China.

Giani Zail Singh's Birth Anniversary

Giani Zail Singh, born on 5 May 1916, in Sandhwan, India, was an Indian politician who was the first Sikh to serve as president of India (1982–87). He was an impotent bystander in 1984 when government troops stormed the complex of the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) in Amritsar, the Sikhs’ holiest shrine, in an effort to apprehend militants who had been demanding autonomy for the northwestern Indian state of Punjab.

Singh was raised in a village near Ludhiana, in what is now in Punjab state, India. When he was barely 15 years old, he became active in the politics of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Supreme Akali Party), the principal political organization that championed Sikh causes and that had joined with the Indian National Congress (Congress Party) in opposing British rule in India. He pursued traditional studies in Sikh holy books and earned the title Giani (“Learned Man”) for his scholarly mastery of the scriptures. In 1938 he established the Praja Mandal, a political organization allied to the Congress Party, in his home district of Faridkot. That insurrectionary act earned him a five-year jail sentence. During his incarceration he took the name Zail Singh.

After India became independent in 1947, Singh served in the Rajya Sabha (upper chamber of the Indian parliament) in 1956–62 and was chief minister (head of government) of Punjab in 1972–77. When Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was voted out of power in 1977, Singh continued to support her. Singh won a seat in the 1980 elections to the Lok Sabha (lower chamber of the parliament), as did Gandhi, who again became prime minister. She acknowledged Singh’s loyalty to her by naming him minister of home affairs. He held the post until 1982, when he became the Congress (I) Party’s presidential candidate.

Singh overwhelmingly won election to the largely ceremonial office. There was much speculation, however, that Gandhi had selected him in order to mollify Sikh extremists in Punjab, who had since mid-1982 become increasingly militant in that state. The June 1984 assault on the Harmandir Sahib complex by government troops, which killed hundreds, put Singh in a difficult situation with the Sikh community—made worse by the violence against Sikhs that erupted following Gandhi’s assassination by her Sikh bodyguards four months later. Singh named Gandhi’s son, Rajiv, to succeed her, but he soon fell out of favour with the new prime minister. Singh further inflamed the government by refusing to sign into law a 1987 bill permitting official censorship of private mail. Singh died in late 1994 following a car crash.