CALENDAR

DATES. EVENTS. PEOPLE.

On January 6th, 1952, Professor Yuri Ostrovsky was born — a Belarusian scientist in the field of cardiovascular surgery, doctor of medical sciences, corresponding member of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. He is the author of scientific works on the development of aggressive methods for the treatment of acute coronary syndrome and heart failure. He is also Honoured Doctor of the Republic of Belarus and laureate of the State Prize of Belarus (1996, 2016).


January 7th marks the Orthodox holiday of Christmas. It is one of the most important Christian holidays and a public holiday in more than 100 countries around the world. It is set to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. On this day, an unprecedented event took place in the small town of Bethlehem — the Infant God, the Son of God, was born into the world. The Nativity of Christ ends the forty-day Nativity Fast. On the night of January 6th-7th, Christmas services are held in Orthodox churches. After Christmas comes Christmastide, holy days or 12 days, during which the holiday is celebrated.

On January 7th, 1610, Galileo Galilei discovered the four largest moons of Jupiter, which are now called ‘Galilean’. Thanks to his discovery, which he described in the Starry Messenger, Galileo soon became the most famous scientist in Europe. To date, scientists know 79 moons of Jupiter, among which the Galilean ones are the largest.


On January 9th, 2017, Aleksandr Lukashenko signed Decree No. 8 ‘On the Introduction of the Visa-free Entry and Departure for Foreign Citizens.’ The document introduced a visa-free procedure for entering Belarus for a period not exceeding 5 days through the Minsk National Airport for citizens of 80 countries.

January 9th marks International Choreographers Day. The term ‘choreography’, which came into circulation in the 18th century, which is of Greek origin and which literally means ‘dance-writing’, is the art of composing and staging a dance. In a broad sense, choreography today generally refers to all dance art, perceived as a combination of two areas: the art of ballet and the art of dance. The choreographer is engaged in staging the dance of an individual performer or a group.


On January 9th, 1769, the first paper money, bank notes, was introduced in Russia. Until the beginning of the reign of Yekaterina II, copper coins were in use in Russia. Gold and silver, which were valued abroad, went mainly to cover the annually growing military and palace expenses. The share of copper money grew alarmingly. In Russia, it was decided to introduce paper money. Yekaterina II signed a manifesto on the introduction of banknotes in denominations of 25, 50, 75 and 100 roubles in Russia.

On January 10th, 49 BC, Gaius Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon. While still a commander and governor in Gaul, Julius Caesar, returning from the conquered Gaul, approached the border river of Rome, the Rubicon. By law, at the borders of Rome, Caesar had to disband the army. In crossing the Rubicon, Caesar deliberately cut off his path to retreat, deciding to become the sole ruler of Rome. The expression ‘to cross the Rubicon’ has since become proverbial, meaning the point of no return...


On January 10th, 1863, the world’s first metro line opened in London. The London Underground is the oldest and one of the largest in the world. The entire metro is divided into tariff zones, there are six of them. Depending on the number of areas crossed, the ticket price also varies. The London Underground today carries over a billion passengers a year. The London Underground network consists of 11 lines, the underground has 270 stations, and the length of the tracks exceeds 250 miles.

January 11th is one of the most ‘polite’ dates of the year, International Thank You Day. Words of gratitude have magical properties, with them people give joy to each other, express attention and convey positive emotions. It is believed that the Russian word for ‘thank you (spasibo)’ originated in the 16th century from the often pronounced phrase ‘God save you’. Interestingly, the roots of the English counterpart, thank you, also go much deeper than simple gratitude. 

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