What’s Happening Today?

Freedom From Hunger Day. It is meant to increase awareness about global hunger and promote Freedom from Hunger's – an international organization - empowerment of women around the world. Every one out of seven people suffers from chronic hunger or malnutrition in the world. The maximum rate of mortality from hunger is observed in countries with high population density and lack of natural resources.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage the world, many are in dire need of food and face malnutrition or even death from hunger. It is important that on this day we raise awareness in every possible means about the need for probably the most important basic need – food.

International Day for Universal Access to Information. It was designated by the UNESCO General Conference. It was inaugurated in November 2015 and was first held on 28 September 2016. 

Currently, only 17 African Union member states have adopted national right to information laws, and groups like Open Government Partnership hope that the recognition of the right to information will "provide an important platform for all stakeholders at national level to discuss the adoption and effective implementation of national right to information laws in line with continental and international standards and obligations."

What Happened Today?

1. In 1924, the first flight around the world was completed. On April 6, 1924, 4 teams of pilots from the United States Army Air Service set out from Seattle, Washington in an attempt to circumnavigate the world. The 4 Douglas World Cruiser planes were named Seattle, Chicago, Boston, and New Orleans. 175 days later, Chicago and New Orleans touched down in Seattle – Boston and Seattle did not complete the 27,500-mile journey around the world.

2. In 1928, Sir Alexander Fleming - a Scottish scientist - discovered penicillin, the first naturally occurring antibiotic drug discovered and used therapeutically. Often described as a careless lab technician, Fleming returned from a two-week vacation to find that a mold had developed on an accidentally contaminated staphylococcus culture plate. Upon examination of the mold, he noticed that the culture prevented the growth of staphylococci, a form of bacteria. Penicillin is now one of the most widely used antibiotics in the world.

3. In 2006, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels walked out of peace talks aimed at ending their rebellion against the Ugandan government. The government had finally agreed to sit down with the rebels and reach a peace agreement that would end the insurgency in Northern Uganda, which had killed thousands of people and displaced millions into Internally Displaced People’s (IDP) camps. 

Birthdays

1. 1968 – Naomi Watts, British actress and film producer.

2. 1977 – Young Jeezy, American rapper, singer, songwriter and actor.

Sources: Wikipedia, timelines.ws & healio.com

Picture credit: Freedom From Hunger