The state of water resources affects all life on Earth. Pollution of the world's oceans is an environmental problem that has become especially acute in the 21st century. Anthropogenic factor, i.e. human activity, heavy metals, petroleum products, minerals, polymers and chemical fertilizers enter the water. Pollution leads to changes in the chemical, physical and biological properties of water. This requires constant monitoring for the content of foreign gaseous, liquid and solid substances. September 18 is World Water Monitoring Day. The celebration appeared in 2007 on the initiative of the American organization Clean Water Foundation. At first, events in his honor took place a month later, on October 27, which is the date the Clean Water Act was signed in 1972 by the US Congress. But due to its freezing in some countries of the Northern Hemisphere, the celebration was postponed to an earlier date. During World Water Monitoring Day, samples are taken from rivers, lakes, seas and oceans to assess the quality of their water. Therefore, it is so important that all states supporting the initiative can monitor and analyze the research results. The human body consists of 3/4 water. People's health depends on its quality and safety. Drinking water from surface water bodies is tested and analyzed for microbiological, radiological and sanitary-chemical indicators. The results of the sample study are published on the pages of the online resource of World Water Quality Monitoring Day. Every year the number of participants in events held on September 18 is growing. And if in 2007 World Water Monitoring Day was supported by 77 countries, then in 2019 - already 146 countries. In Russia, monitoring is regularly carried out by employees of Rospotrebnadzor and the Centers for Hygiene and Epidemiology. The composition of drinking water is regulated by the provisions of SanPiN 2.1.4.1074-01. The document establishes standards for its mineralization, acidity and hardness, maximum permissible doses of heavy metals, chlorine, formaldehyde, nitrates and other substances. According to external indicators, water is assessed for transparency, temperature and oxygen saturation. The purity of H2O depends on the state of the environment. The Earth's hydrosphere consists of both surface and groundwater and glaciers. Radionuclides accumulate in the soil as a result of launch vehicles, leaks and emergency emissions from nuclear industry enterprises. Groundwater is the source of central water supply for many regions of the Russian Federation, for example the Altai Republic. They also fill wells and wells with life-giving moisture. Therefore, throughout the year in the Russian Federation, both surface and groundwater are monitored for the presence of radioactive radiation. The cleanest lake on Earth is Baikal, located in Eastern Siberia. The transparency of this reservoir of fresh water of natural origin reaches 40 m. The cleanest lakes in the world are also considered to be the Chinese Lake of Five Flowers and the Canadian Peyto Lake, which is fed by glaciers. World Water Monitoring Day calls on people to take care of the cleanliness of the hydrosphere and the ecology of the planet, so that there are more similar bodies of water on Earth year after year.

Bikers, along with car enthusiasts, have long been full participants in the road traffic. People who don’t have enough extreme sports and adrenaline in their blood get on a motorcycle, so they choose speed and risky riding. It often ends in accidents and deaths of both bikers and other participants in the accident. The average age of deceased drivers is 22-38 years.

The stems of the grass, which belongs to the grass family and is closely related to wheat, rice and oats, are widely used in the textile industry. Bamboo is used to make blankets, pillows and linens. The tree plant is also a raw material for the production of paper, dishes and cutlery, furniture, musical instruments and building materials. The shoots and seeds are used to prepare food, and the stems are used to decorate rooms in an Asian style. To raise awareness among people about the benefits of this tropical plant, World Bamboo Day is celebrated on September 18th. World Bamboo Day was first celebrated in Thailand in 2009. It is one of the Asian countries where bamboo is used in many areas of life - from cooking to medicine. Bamboo stems are used to weave hats and baskets, make curtains, paint brushes, picture frames, and handles for bladed weapons. In Thailand, an uninhabited island, which is famous for its azure coastline and gorgeous beaches, is even named after the plant. The absence of bamboo groves does not affect the popularity of the place among tourists. In China, the juice of the plant, tabaxir, has been used since ancient times to treat asthma and cough. In Japan, bamboo, along with branches of blooming cherry and pine, is a symbol of the Land of the Rising Sun. Here he is respectfully called the king of forest vegetables. Many tales glorify the grace, flexibility and plasticity of bamboo. The plant is the personification of one of the postulates of Zen Buddhism: its hollow stems, like emptiness, are tapped as a symbol of purification from selfish aspirations, and their hardness is the male will and inflexibility of the samurai. It is known that bamboo stems can compete with steel in strength. They are used to reinforce concrete and create motorcycles. Thus, in the Philippines in 2018, a bamboo e-bike of the Green Falcon model was made as a sign of the country’s residents’ concern for the environment. The Taiwanese company ASUS also promotes eco-ideas. She launched the production of laptops with a body consisting of 85% bamboo and 15% plastic. In China, the tree-like plant is considered a symbol of longevity, in India - of strong friendship. In China, bamboo has been the main raw material for the production of paper and chopsticks for decades. The tree-like plant is one of the favorite treats of pandas, the unofficial symbol of the country. In China, bamboo represents a person who is perfect in every sense and steadfast, who may bow before the storm, but always rises again. In Malaysia there is a legend about a maiden, slender as bamboo, living in its trunk. A beautiful nymph can be seen if you cut the shoot. In the Philippines, amulets are made from bamboo to attract happiness. During Indonesia's liberation struggle against the Dutch colonialists, it was used to make copies. Bamboo is very unpretentious and is the record holder among grasses, shrubs and trees in terms of growth rate. The length of its trunk increases by an average of 10 cm per day, and in some species - by 1 mm in 2 minutes. This is a consequence of the plant’s powerful root system. Bamboo fiber has good antibacterial and hypoallergenic properties. All of these characteristics make the plant one of the most sought after in the life of a modern person. World Bamboo Day calls attention to the enormous potential of bamboo in the field of conservation and environmental protection.

Today, you don’t have to go to the library to get acquainted with hundreds of bestsellers and volumes of classics of world literature. Thanks to the eBook, people enjoy reading on the go, on vacation by the sea and while sitting at home. To do this, it is enough to have a gadget that provides access to books in electronic format. A holiday was invented to promote reading using digital devices. September 18th is International Electronic Book Day. Its establishment was initiated by the US company OverDrive, which since 1986 has been distributing digital video and music content, scientific, journalistic and artistic works. Having an eBook or tablet with a downloaded text file at hand greatly simplifies life and allows you to save on purchasing new products in paper form. The small gadget holds thousands of books and audio recordings, a calendar and voice recorder, notes and much more. The prototype of the digital book is considered to be The readies by Bob Brown. In 1930, an American writer and inventor came up with the idea of ​​​​using an electronic information medium for reading in the form of a paper tape on which text was applied and a magnifying lens. The first eBook prototype did not gain much popularity, but remained forever in history. The electronic book in the modern sense was invented in 1971 by Michael S. Hart, who, after graduating from the University of Illinois, decided to download the iconic “Declaration of Independence” onto his computer. To digitize a historical document for every American, the most powerful Xerox Sigma V that existed at that time was used. The file size turned out to be quite large - it occupied 5 kilobytes of memory. M. Hart was confident that in the future personal computers would become available to everyone. Therefore, I made it my life’s goal to digitize 10 thousand of the most famous and iconic works of world literature. The young man’s initiative was taken up by other supporters of modern technology. Until 1989, all digital books were typed by hand; later, text recognition programs and scanners began to be used. By 2010, the first electronic library, named Project Gutenberg by Hart in honor of the famous German pioneer printer, consisted of 32 thousand books. The collection continues to grow and remains popular despite everything. Today, the Project Gutenberg-tm library, growing by 340 items each year, has more than 60,000 electronic books available completely free of charge. Folios printed on paper provide not only intellectual, but also aesthetic pleasure. Conservative book lovers are wary and reluctant to purchase an eBook. In their understanding, nothing can compare with the beauty of the binding of printed publications, the indescribable aroma of paper, which gives a pleasant tactile sensation, and bright illustrations that delight the eye. But progress, which brings comfort and convenience to life, does not stand still, so many readers buy gadgets where they download new items and classics in digital format. Fans of e-books first celebrated International Read an eBook Day in 2014. The holiday is dedicated to the popularization of reading - a source of knowledge necessary for the spiritual and mental development of an individual. This process today, just like thousands of years ago when people enjoyed paper tomes, remains fascinating and interesting thanks to e-books.

Elite military units, which were awarded high ranks, appeared in Rus' under Peter I. Under the Tsar, in 1700, the Imperial Guard was formed from the Semenovsky and Preobrazhensky regiments. Peter I personally selected the best soldiers and officers. With the advent of the “Table of Ranks” in 1722, the salaries of military personnel and the status of the guard became higher than the army regiments. Over the years of the existence of elite units, the name "Guards" was given to regiments of Cossacks, hussars, artillerymen, dragoons, cuirassiers and sappers. The royal power relied on their devotion and loyalty. Guards troops participated in all wars waged by the Russian Empire. After the October Revolution, the tsarist army, despite the support of the Bolsheviks by the Life Guards, was disbanded. Its place was taken by the Red Army. For more than 20 years, the word “guard” was perceived exclusively in conjunction with “imperial,” which gave it a negative meaning. However, everything changed after the attack on the USSR by Nazi Germany in June 1941. In the first months of the Great Patriotic War, the Red Army soldiers showed massive heroism and unprecedented courage. This served as the basis for the command to turn to the history of past centuries and military traditions forgotten for a while. Thanks to the first successful counter-offensive of the Red Army near Yelnya, Soviet settlements were liberated from the Nazis. Therefore, on September 18, 1941, by order of the People's Commissar of Defense I.V. Stalin's four divisions of the Red Army "for military exploits, for organization, discipline" were given the name "Guards". Their soldiers and officers received increased rations and double salaries, and after the end of the war, increased pensions. By May 1945, more than 100 corps and armies of the Red Army and the Navy held the honorary title. Units, other formations and ships were awarded guards flags and banners. In 1942, a special badge and ranks were established for military personnel. September 18, the date of issue of the order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, is considered the Birthday of the Soviet Guard. The holiday appeared in the calendar of special dates in 2000 after the decree of the President of the Russian Federation was issued. After the end of the Great Patriotic War, the elite combat units were disbanded, but their banners and honorary titles were transferred to the best military units of the USSR and the Russian Federation. Today, the name "Guards" is worn by more than 100 units of the Russian army. One of the latest was the awarding of an honorary title in February 2018 to the Ryazan Higher Airborne School. The Russian army honors the legendary past and military traditions of its ancestors, and therefore annually celebrates the Birthday of the Soviet Guard. The feat of the fighters of these units is sung in poems and songs, films have been made and performances have been staged about their heroism and courage. In honor of the holiday of September 18, classes and other educational events are held in educational institutions, and memorial awards are presented to combat veterans who served in guards units.

"The beaten one brings the unbeaten. The beaten one brings the unbeaten!" - said a fox from a Russian folk tale, sitting astride a wolf. Patrikeevna advised Gray to lower his tail into the hole instead of a fishing rod in order to catch fish. Nothing good came of this idea - the frozen wolf was beaten with buckets by the women who came to the river the next morning for water. However, the adventures of Gray with his little fox sister gave rise to a funny holiday. Tail Soaking Day is celebrated annually on September 18th. This unusual celebration was created to delight pet owners. Most animals have a movable appendage that is an extension of the spine. Monkeys use their tails to cling to tree branches, cows and other artiodactyls drive away horse flies and flies, dogs express joy and love for their owner. A fluffy and not very continuation of the spinal column is also found in cats and rats, hamsters and mini pigs, ferrets and parrots, and other pets that people keep at home. All of them, according to established tradition, should be bathed in honor of the holiday by soaking their tails in soapy foam. The body structure of turtles and hedgehogs is different from most other animals. Their tails rarely reach 3 cm in length and are practically invisible. Therefore, with them, as with the rainbow boa constrictor and corn snake, it is unlikely that it will be possible to celebrate a funny holiday on September 18th. Hedgehogs don’t like to swim, snakes and lizards won’t sit in the water for long and will crawl away, and the turtle will simply pull its tail into its shell and there will be nothing to soak. The celebration also cannot be celebrated with guppies, swordtails or goldfish, which spend all their time in the aquarium. The tail is an important part of a pet's body that helps it maintain balance. Cats and dogs can use it to balance themselves while jumping or running, and to change their trajectory. Males of the Kuril and Japanese Bobtail, Pixie Bob, Cymrik and Manx breeds are distinguished by their small tail size. The appendage, according to the exterior, is cropped in English bulldogs, Rottweilers, schnauzers and Boston terriers. For owners of pets of these breeds, Tail Soaking Day is irrelevant. The rest of the lucky ones who have four-legged friends happily celebrate this unusual holiday. Bathing and brushing a dog or cat after a bath is one of the ways a person communicates with an animal, helping to express care for the pet and gratitude for the fact that he gives his love every day. On September 18, the owners create conditions for water treatments in the cages of budgies and kakariki, guinea pigs and rats. Animal owners take advantage of any opportunity to please their pets, so they strongly welcome the tradition of celebrating Tail Soaking Day.

Japan's Elderly Day (Keiro-no Hi)

Fast of Gedaliah in Judaism (Tzom Gedaliah)

Astronomy Day in Armenia

National Music Day in Azerbaijan (Milli Musiqi Gunu)

Mulled Wine Spice Smells Day

On September 18, Christians celebrate the feast of the priest Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth, who were the parents of John the Baptist. In Rus' it was believed that on this day the weather could tell us what the coming winter would be like. If September 18 was cold, then severe cold weather should be expected in the following months.

Orthodox holidays September 18:

Memorial Day of the Venerable Martyr Athanasius of Brest

Day of the Prophet Zechariah and Righteous Elizabeth, parents of Saint John the Baptist