On 6 April 1896, the first modern Olympic Games were opened in Athens, Greece. These were the Summer Olympic Games; the Winter Olympics were first held in 1924 in Chamonix, France. The only country to have participated in every single Olympic Games is Switzerland.
On 4 April 1949, 12 European and North American countries signed the North Atlantic Treaty, founding NATO. The organisation was established by 10 European countries (the United Kingdom, Belgium, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Portugal), the USA and Canada, during the Cold War as a counterbalance to the USSR and other communist states. Latvia joined NATO in 2004.
Today, on 3 April 2015, the Christian world commemorates Good Friday - the day of Christ's death and at the same time the day of the redemption of humanity's sins. But several other significant events have also taken place on this date - let us look back at history. For example, on 3 April 1973 in New York, USA, the first mobile phone call was made on a device developed by Motorola.
Today the world celebrates International Children's Book Day. The date was chosen in honour of the universally beloved Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, who was born on 2 April 1805.
Although for most people 1 April is associated with April Fools' Day and people enjoy playing pranks on each other, looking back not so far into the past one can find other interesting events too. With this article I am launching a month-long series, aiming to inform iinuu.lv readers each day about significant, unusual, curious and fascinating facts on that day in world history. Stay tuned!
This weekend Latvia will switch to summer time. On the night from Saturday to Sunday, on 30 March at 03:00, clocks must be moved forward by one hour. Stay alert so there are no unwanted surprises at work on Monday morning!
We came across the lectures of Russian philosopher, theologian and philologist Leonid Matsikh in connection with the topic of Freemasonry. We watched the programmes with considerable pleasure, as the speaker is quite charismatic, with a rich command of language and well-formed views. Searching further for material from this wise man's lectures, we found two 2012 television programmes devoted to the role of women in shaping world history.
The holiday season is approaching. People often plan their long-awaited days off outside their usual environment - travelling. But circumstances sometimes arise where a flight cannot operate or is delayed or even cancelled.
Of note was the fact that the Riga Free Port has a Special Economic Zone (SEZ), meaning that companies with that status enjoy an 80% discount on real estate tax. Discounts are also available on income tax, while dividends transferred to companies registered in offshore jurisdictions are taxed at 0%.
Any electronic device, including a mobile phone, emits electromagnetic radiation. Unlike other devices, however, a phone is often kept close to the body - carried in a pocket, pressed firmly to the ear during calls. This has led many to wonder how harmful - or perhaps harmless - mobile communication devices actually are.