January 13th. Incredible forgotten facts and stories

January 13^th is not only the celebration of the second Holy Eve and coming of the Old New Year (and St. Basil’s Day).

During years (or even centuries) improbable events that have affected not only history, but also the establishment of our independent state occurred on this day.

WeLoveUA offers a walk through chronological steps of this day.

Outstanding Ukrainian ship engineer Lev Mitsiyevych was born in 1877 and became the author of an enormous number of projects, among which there were not only ships, but also submarines and mine barriers (and this, for a minute, is an unbelievable achievement!). He also became the first Ukrainian aviator, political and public figure. He was a great personality.

In 1900, Mitsiyevych, along with other public figures, including Mykhailo Antonovych and Dmytro Rusov, founded the Revolutionary Ukrainian party. He also contributed to the ukrainization of officers’ environment in Sevastopol, and with Oleksandr Kovalenko’s assistance created an amateur theater with purely Ukrainian repertoire in the in the National House of the city.

After 10 years of studying piloting aircraft and, Lev created and started leading a team of seven Russian officers sent to France, Belgium and England. It became possible as a result of the establishment of Russian air fleet. At that time, he received a certificate at the number 178. As a result, he became not only the first Ukrainian aviator but also joined the first two hundred pilots of the world.

And even that’s not all! Around the same period, Mitsiievych developed a new type of aircraft, which could be raised into the air from board of a ship. Together with his colleague and aviator Iefimov, Lev performed the first night flight. He actively worked on the development of the device meant to rescue pilots in an emergency landing on water.

It is also important to note that in the same 1910 year Lev Mitsiievych actively participated in the first All-Russian aeronautics celebration, which took place in St. Petersburg. Then he won several prizes and awards, and has become an undisputed idol of the public.

Lev died at the age of 33, on October 7^th, 1910 in an airplane crash near St. Petersburg seen by thousands of people.

Thus, Lev Matsiievych has not only become the first pilot of those times and the incredible engineer, but also the first victim of Russian aircraft.

The burial took place on 11 October 1910. It was one of the largest concerning the number of people funerals in the history.

We’ve found a card in Captain Matsiievych memory in the online archives.

In 1883, three hundred people died in a fire which happened at the performance of the Italian Touring Ferroni Brothers Circus, which took place in Berdychiv. On the one hand, it resembles an accident, but there was a mysterious moment – the room had three doors, two of which were scored by nails.

In 1919, several events happened on January 13^th.

• Law “On Military Call to Active Duty” was issued by the Directory of Ukrainian People’s Republic.
• All-European conference of the United European Socialist Party was held in Kyiv. It was attended by 40 delegates, including 25 representatives of the provinces. This day is special for the present Independent Ukraine as political issues and attitudes towards national personal autonomy were discussed. The convocation of Jewish labor congress was also adopted.
• Peasant (provincial) meeting attended by members from all counties was conducted in Kherson. At this meeting, residents of Kherson emphasized their commitment to the independence of Ukraine.
• Direction to revolutionary committees, which dealt with the restoration of the Soviet regime (i.e., its agencies), was issued in Kharkiv. Till this event, a bourgeois state apparatus acted there.
• Ukrainian central agency for the dissemination of the press and literature started its existence in Kharkiv. Yes, the departments involved in the proliferation of literature and printed materials for Ukrainian were opened.
• In 1920, the compellation to open a transit through Poland to Ukraine in connection with the need of providing the army of Ukrainian People’s republic with ammunition was sent to Warsaw. It also addressed leaving the Ukrainian authorities on the territory ruled by Polish and request for suspension of requisition of property and arrests in Eastern Galicia.

1922 turned out to be a political year. In addition to changes of cases in Donbas (there was a mass of problems at that time), and the following decisions were adopted.

• A resolution conferring children’s social education establishments with certain land areas for organize their kitchen gardens was adopted.
• Vocational courses and schools were organized at many mines in Donetsk region.

There were also some terrible moments in 1922. 2/3 of population of Odessa was starving. 95,400 people were starving in Kherson district, including 46,695 children.

In 1925, courses for farmers were established at the Agricultural Institute.

In 1936, Stepan Bandera was condemned to death by Polish court. He was charged for the involvement in terrorist attacks.

In 1942, a lot of Ukrainians were forcibly removed to Germany.

In 1959, the first T-14 tractor sample began its existence. The same year, a committee for nature protection and promoting the development of natural resources was established.

In 1965, the proclamations of the announcement January 22^nd the Day of Ukrainian Independence were signed between the Governors of Minnesota State and the mayor of Minneapolis.

In 1966, 60-meter-long gas-main pipeline “Pereshchepyno – Dnipropetrovsk” started working. Also, in Snigurivka of Mykolayiv region the construction of concrete works was completed on this day, and a new dairy started working in Maka Vyska of Kirovograd region.

In 1972, the first billion of cubic meters of natural gas were received from Shebelynkske deposit.

In 1992, diplomatic relations were established between Ukraine and the Kingdom of Sweden. Also, on this year, the Republic of Cyprus recognized the independence of Ukraine.

In 1998, the Law of Ukraine “Of Cinematography” entered into force.

So, at first glance, an ordinary day can carry an incredible and fascinating history. Don’t keep away from your history, always try to find out something new about our Ukraine, and WeLoveUA will help you in this.