As of today, April 23 | RadioVera.gr

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Summer.

Anniversaries

English Language Day was established by a decision of UNESCO in 2010 and has since been celebrated every year on April 23 to honor the English language, one of the six official languages of the UN and the most widely spoken around the world.

April 23rd was chosen as UN English Language Day because on this date in 1616 the great English dramatist William Shakespeare passed away.

On April 23, 1616, two great names of letters passed away: the Spanish author of Don Quixote Miguel de Cervantes and the English dramatist William Shakespeare. On the occasion of this double event, UNESCO has established April 23 as World Book Day.

In Catalonia, this day is celebrated Day of Books and Roses, a local variant of Saint Valentine’s Day, which is combined with the feast of the patron saint of the region, Saint George. With the slogan “A rose for love, a book forever”, the man will give his beloved a rose and she will return it with a book.

At the heart of the events, Barcelona’s famous street “La Rambla”, the most lively corner of the city, “the only street, which I never wanted to end”, as Federico García Lorca once said. It is estimated that on this day alone, 500,000 books and 4 million roses are sold in Barcelona.

The great playwright, William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright, actor and theater entrepreneur.

He is considered the leading dramatist of modern times and the only one, perhaps, who can stand next to the three great ancient Greek tragic poets. The creator of “Hamlet,” “Macthev,” “King Lear,” and other masterpieces brought to life with his heroes, not only the spirit of his time, but of all ages.

More about the life and work of William Shakespeare here

Miguel de Cervantes: The Author of Don Quixote

Miguel de Cervantes is without a doubt one of the greatest writers of all time.

His adventurous and painful life spanned between Spain’s period of greatness and the beginning of its decline, which is reflected in his masterpiece “Don Quixote”, which is considered one of the leading and most influential novels of world literature.

This work influenced generations of prose writers, not only in the Spanish-speaking world, but also throughout the world. It is the most translated book, after the Bible.

More about the life and work of Miguel de Cervantes here

World Table Tennis Day is an annual international celebration dedicated to one of the most popular sports in the world, table tennis, also known as table tennis.

It was established in 2015 at the initiative of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) and was originally celebrated on 6 April to coincide with the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, organized jointly by the UN and the International Olympic Committee (IOC). . From 2023, World Table Tennis Day is celebrated on 23 April to coincide with the birthday of Ivor Montagu (1904-1984), founder and first president of the ITTF.

The sport originated in Victorian England and the common name of “ping pong”, by which the sport is known, was a registered trademark of J. Jacques & Son (now Jacques of London), a family business based in London, manufacturing sports equipment since 1795 and is the oldest company in the field.

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) was founded in 1926 to oversee the rules and regulations of the sport, its technological improvement and the organization of international meetings.

Today, table tennis is widely played in every corner of the globe, both at the amateur and professional levels. The championships in the sport are held by the countries of Europe and East Asia.

Table tennis is a sport for people of all ages, genders, skills and abilities. It brings people together and thus contributes to social cohesion and social inclusion.

Facts

1516

The Beer Purity Law (“Reinheitsgebot”) is adopted by German brewers. According to the law, the ingredients of beer are: water, barley and hops.
1821

The Battle of Alamanna. The Greek revolutionary forces under Diovouniotis, Panourgias and Diakos face the superior Ottoman hordes of Omer Bryonis and Kiose Mehmet at the bridge of Alamana (Thermopylon area) and are defeated.
1882

The work of opening the Isthmus of Corinth begins.
1960

Prime Minister Konstantinos Karamanlis lays the foundations for the Nestos dam.
1999

The Serbian Television building in Belgrade is bombed by NATO planes during the Kosovo War, killing 16 people and injuring many. In Greece, the following day’s newspapers are printed with a black ribbon as a sign of mourning, while NATO, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary at a solemn meeting in Brussels, signing a Declaration on its new role, describes the building in Belgrade as a “legitimate target”.
2010

Greece requests the activation of the support mechanism of the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, announced Prime Minister Giorgos Papandreou from Kastellorizo. The reactions from the opposition parties are strong.