World Bat Day, International Espresso Coffee Day, Firefighters' Day in Ukraine. What else can be celebrated on April 17

Today, on April 17, all animal rights activists and wildlife lovers can join the event dedicated to one of the most mysterious animals on our planet - World Bat Day, UNN reports.

Today, there are about a thousand different species of bats in the world. Most of them are on the verge of extinction. All known species of bats in the Ukrainian fauna as of 2023 are listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine.

Bats are the only mammals that actually fly, flapping their wings to propel themselves in flight. It is believed that their level of intelligence is comparable to that of dolphins and horses.

The life expectancy of bats reaches 15 years.

Bats can see with their ears: by emitting a series of ultrasounds at frequencies of 20-120 kHz, they can distinguish objects as small as 1-10 mm by perceiving the echoes. This allows bats to fly in the dark and see insects.

In a day, a bat eats insects weighing up to 1/2 to 2/3 of its body weight, catching them in flight or hunting them on tree trunks.

In 2013, a presidential decree established Firefighters' Day in Ukraine.

Today, Ukrainian firefighters celebrate their professional holiday on Rescuer's Day.

Nevertheless, today's event is an occasion to pay tribute to the courage and heroism of Ukrainian firefighters who are the first to respond to calls to eliminate the consequences of enemy shelling, risking their lives and coming under repeated fire.

During the full-scale Russian invasion, 91 rescuers were killed and 348 were injured. Most of them were firefighters.

Today, fans of Espresso coffee can join the celebration of the Day of their favorite drink.

The technology of its preparation was proposed in the early twentieth century by the Italian Luigi Bezzera.

Espresso coffee, as we know it, appeared after another Italian, Achille Gaggia, received a patent on April 17, 1938, for a coffee machine that delivered hot water under pressure using a piston mechanism.

Fans of Japanese poetry celebrate Haiku Day on April 17.

Haiku traditionally consists of three lines of 5-7-5 syllables, although modern interpretations sometimes differ. It has its roots in the early poems of the renga, a collective form of Japanese poetry that developed into an independent art form in the 17th century.

Famous haiku masters such as Matsuo Basho and Masaoka Shiki played an important role in popularizing and refining haiku, emphasizing its depth and potential for capturing the ephemeral moments of life.

According to the church calendar, today is the Day of Remembrance of the Holy Martyr Simeon, Bishop of Persia, who lived in the 3-4 centuries.

As the persecution of Christians intensified, Simeon was thrown into prison. There Simeon preached and converted many people to Christianity.

At the trial, the priest refused to bow to the pagan ruler and was martyred.

On April 15, Semen, Ivan, and Mykhailo celebrate their name days.