January 31: Discover today's holiday and the key events happening around the world.

On Friday, January 31, several holidays are celebrated in Ukraine and around the world. Additionally, this day has seen several significant historical events in the past.

January 31 is celebrated as International Zebra Day in Ukraine and worldwide. This environmental event aims to raise awareness about the need to protect zebras and their natural habitats. The date serves as a reminder of the importance of preserving biodiversity and combating threats such as poaching, habitat destruction, and climate change.

On January 31, it is also World Goldsmith Day. This professional holiday honors jewelers, jewelry designers, engravers, and other artisans working in the jewelry sector.

The purpose of this day is to pay tribute to these craftsmen, their meticulous work and talent, as well as to remind people of the value of handmade labor and artistry.

What is the church holiday today

January 31 in the church calendar marks the feast day of Saints Cyril and Methodius, the wonderworkers and silverless. These Christian saints lived in the 3rd-4th centuries and are known for their lives dedicated to serving people, especially the sick and the poor, as well as for many healings performed through prayer and selfless care. Saint Cyril was originally from Alexandria, Egypt. He studied medicine and later became a renowned doctor in his city, treating people for free, not only providing physical help but also offering spiritual support by converting them to Christianity.

Calendar of significant events for January 31

1729 — The first printed book in Arabic script, a dictionary, is published in Istanbul, which is still considered one of the most popular;

1747 — William Bromfield opens the first clinic for treating venereal diseases in London, known as Lock Hospital;

1865 — Congress passes the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which prohibits slavery;

1893 — The US Patent Office registers the Coca-Cola trademark;

1917 — German Kaiser Wilhelm II signs an order for unrestricted submarine warfare against Allied shipping routes;

1941 — The Kyiv Studio of Popular Science Films is established;

1946 — The first constitution of Yugoslavia comes into effect;

1950 — US President Harry Truman publicly announces support for the hydrogen bomb project, a weapon theoretically hundreds of times more powerful than the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II;

1958 — The first American artificial satellite, "Explorer-1," is launched, confirming the existence of the near-Earth radiation belt;

1961 — The US launches a space rocket with a chimpanzee on board;

1999 — Scientists from the University of Alabama (USA) claim to have irrefutable evidence that the HIV virus originated in Africa, coming from chimpanzees and first transferring to humans about 50 years ago;

2000 — An aviation disaster occurs near Anacapa Island involving a McDonnell Douglas MD-83 airliner from Alaska Airlines, resulting in the deaths of 88 people;

2009 — In Kenya, at least 113 people die and over 200 are injured due to a fire caused by spilled oil in the Molo area;

2020 — The United Kingdom exits the European Union and Euratom.