World Glaucoma Day

 

World Glaucoma Day is celebrated on March 12^th and it marks the start of World Glaucoma Week, a collaborative project between World Glaucoma Association and World Glaucoma Patient Association. The aim of the project is to help eliminate blindness caused by this disease by raising awareness and alerting on the need of having regular eye check-ups in which the optic nerve is examined.

What exactly is glaucoma?

Glaucoma is an eye disease. More specifically, it is a disease that affects the optic nerve initially causing a loss of peripheral vision (in the visual field) in patients If it is not detected early on and properly treated, it may progress towards a more serious vision loss and affect central vision.

Many of the glaucomas have a genetic basis and actually in most of them there is an elevation of the intraocular pressure that, together with other factors, causes damage to the optic nerve and provokes an early death of the nerve cells that compose it.

Vijay Hazare's Birth Anniversary

 

Vijay Hazare, born on 11 March 1915, in Sangli, was one of India's early greats who did much on either side of India's midnight to put the country's batsmanship on the map of world cricket. Along with Vijay Merchant, he brought to Indian cricket a determination and a studied approach that complemented its flamboyance. His finest moment was at Adelaide in 1947-48, where he struck two hundreds against Don Bradman's "Invincible" Australians.

Hazare proved adept on all manner of pitches, off front foot or back. Clean strokes - primarily the cut, hook and a glorious cover-drive -­ punctuated long periods of defence as he tired attacks before pressing forth. This ability to absorb and release pressure in a controlled manner was unmatched by most in world cricket at the time. He often reined in his carefree strokeplay on the grounds that it was exhibitionism. When fires burned, as they did when Fred Trueman had the new ball in England in 1952, Hazare doused them with calculated calm.

But he was no mere accumulator. He crushed spirits with the weight of his runs and the fluency of his batting. In 1943, he struck an extraordinary purple patch in first-class cricket: 264, 81, 97, 248, 59, 309, 101 and 223. The 248 and 309 are significant for his rivalry with Merchant, who bettered the first score by two runs, only to watch the new high score shattered by the triple-century a day later. In 1967, aged 51, Hazare ended his career with a first-class average nudging 58, with 60 hundreds, and a Test average of 47.65.

From the Australian tour in 1948 till Pakistan visited in 1953, he averaged over 70 even when his famed concentration suffered due to the captaincy. It is generally said that he was not a natural captain, and that the stress of leading the side at a time when Indian cricket was particularly turbulent took its toll on the silent, thoughtful man. His nature had not lent itself well to captaining a young side. He admitted using sign language to communicate with his fielders. Merchant later declared that Hazare could have been India's finest batsman, were it not for the captaincy: "It was one of the tragedies of cricket."

Though his international bowling record is modest, his medium-pace was a handful in domestic cricket. He knocked over 595 batsmen - 20 in Tests - at less than 25. But his prized moments with the ball were on that tour of Australia, when he breached Bradman's defences twice - an achievement managed only by a handful. This added to his undoubted batting superiority, and defined him as one of the finest to wear India's shade of white.

 

COVID-19 designated a global pandemic in 2020

 

World Health Organization officially designated COVID-19 a global pandemic on March 11, 2020, March 11, is a day is to take a moment to halt, reflect, remember, and gather together as a community to inspire one another to hope for better days ahead. Nothing speaks more powerfully about the human spirit than resilience — and resilience is what shines through all of the sadness and mind-numbing exhaustion of the COVID-19 pandemic.

World Plumbing Day

 

World Plumbing Day, held annually on 11 March, is an international event initiated by the World Plumbing Council to recognize the crucial role plumbing plays in societal health and amenity. The WPC works year-round, in partnership with organizations like the World Health Organization, to promote the benefits of safe plumbing.

History and Global Celebration

The idea behind World Plumbing Day is for people worldwide to pause and reflect on the vital role of plumbing in preserving health and way of life, or in building sustainable, disease-free futures for millions in developing countries. Launched in 2010, World Plumbing Day is celebrated across continents like Australia, Europe, and Africa, with events organized to draw attention to the importance of good plumbing and sanitation.

Promoting Health Through Plumbing

World Plumbing Day recognizes the critical link between health and plumbing facilities. The bathroom plays a significant role in maintaining our health worldwide, as sanitized plumbing solutions cut the spread of harmful bacteria like bacillus, gram-negative rods, cocci, and gram-positive rods, which can cause skin infections, pneumonia, and antibiotic resistance.

International Bagpipe Day

 

When the calendar turns to March 10th, the world tunes into a harmonious tradition known as International Bagpipe Day. Captivating and stirring, the sound of bagpipes resonates across various cultures and continents, infusing celebrations with ancestral charm. This day is not just an observance but a global revelry of an instrument that has historically unified people through its distinctive melodies.

International Bagpipe Day was created by The Bagpipe Society in 2012 to celebrate the world’s bagpipes and piping traditions. Pipers are invited to play and participate in local events, talks, and gathering.

Pipers refer to bagpipes as "the pipes," "a set of pipes," and "a stand of pipes."

Bagpipes are woodwind instruments using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. Though the Scottish Great Highland bagpipes are the best known, bagpipes have been played for a millennium or more throughout large parts of Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia, including Turkey, the Caucasus, and around the Persian Gulf. There are over 130 types of bagpipes.

According to the Oxford History of Music, a sculpture of bagpipes was found on a Hittite slab at Euyuk in the Middle East, dated to 1000 BCE.

National Barbie Day (U.S.)

On March 9th, National Barbie Day celebrates an iconic toy that premiered on this day in 1959. Barbie debuted at the American International Toy Fair in New York. 

In 1959, Ruth Handler created the Barbie doll and launched an American icon. Barbie's full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts, and she came with a full array of accessories. While toymakers mass-produced toys for years, before Barbie, none of them had adult features. Barbie's adult features made the toy a first of its kind. Interestingly, Barbie's marketing strategy relied on television advertising. For example, Barbie was the sole sponsor of the Mickey Mouse Club, marketing directly to children. At the time, the approach was unique. Estimates place over a billion Barbie dolls have been sold worldwide in over 150 countries. 

 

National Oregon Day (U.S.)

National Oregon Day celebrates the 33rd state of the United States of America on March 8 every year. The day celebrates the history, nature, and people of Oregon, all of which are incredibly diverse. Oregon has been inhabited for over 15,000 years. Evidence of settlements have been found along the Columbia River, and by the 1500s, there were a number of Native American groups that had settled in the area. 

Exploration led to discovering and making note of the land and its people as early as the 16th century. Over the 1700s and 1800s, the European powers fought over possession of the land until the state of Oregon was formed and became part of the United States of America. 

The first Europeans in Oregon were probably of Spanish descent, and in fact, the name Oregon itself is likely of Spanish origin. During the 1700s and 1800s other Europeans like the French Canadians and Scots arrived, and some even began to settle down on the land. French Canadians have left a lasting impression on the state, with many names of places like Malheur River and Grande Ronde being of French origin.

Slavery has been a major part of Oregon's history and statehood, with the debates raging over whether the state was to be considered a free state or not. Oregon banned slavery within its borders but required all Black Americans to leave the state. This exclusionary practice was upheld with strict punishment and a big part of the debate to determine Oregon statehood. Eventually, when Oregon was admitted as the 33rd state of the United  States, it was admitted as a free state.