Today is December 3rd: Discover the significance of this date and the historical events that took place on this day.
On December 3, 1722, Grigory Skovoroda was born. In 1920, the Polish Sejm abolished the separate territory of "Eastern Galicia," dividing it into three voivodeships. In 1967, South African surgeon Christian Barnard performed the world's first successful heart transplant from one human to another. In 1979, a new constitution was enacted in Iran, solidifying the Islamization of the state. In 1989, Gorbachev and George H.W. Bush announced the end of the "Cold War." In 2004, the Supreme Court of Ukraine declared the Central Election Commission's decision regarding the presidential election results illegal.
Holidays and Observances on December 3
December 3 is International Day of Persons with Disabilities and International Day for the Elimination of Pesticides.
Also celebrated worldwide: World Skating Day, Make a Gift Day, World Computer Graphics Day (International Designers and Animators Day), World Basque Language Day (Euskara), World Trick Day (celebrated on the first Tuesday of December), Giving Tuesday (observed on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving), and National Hug Day.
December 3 in History
On December 3, 1722, Ukrainian educator, philosopher, and writer Grigory Skovoroda was born. His life is closely connected with the Kharkiv region. Read more.
On December 3, 1920, the Polish Sejm abolished the separate territory of "Eastern Galicia." It was divided into three voivodeships: Lviv (28 counties), Stanislav (16 counties), and Ternopil (17 counties). Read more.
On December 3, 1967, South African surgeon Christian Barnard performed the world's first successful heart transplant in Cape Town.
The patient who received the heart was 54-year-old Louis Washkansky, who was terminally ill. He regained consciousness after the transplant and communicated normally but lived only 18 days (dying from pneumonia). However, even such a short life after the transplant was deemed sufficient for the operation to be considered a success and it became a major sensation.
Barnard had spent many years preparing for this transplant. Early in his career, he worked not with hearts but with intestines. He developed a treatment for the congenital defect of intestinal atresia, saving dozens of infants in Cape Town. This technique was adopted by doctors in the UK and the US. In the 1950s, Barnard spent several years in the United States, learning from a pioneer in open-heart surgery. He returned to South Africa in 1958, where he became the head of the experimental surgery department at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town. He also served as the director of surgical research at the University of Cape Town. Over time, his younger brother, also a medical professional, became Barnard's right-hand man.
In 1967, Christian Barnard performed a kidney transplant (the second successful one in the world). At the same time, he was researching heart transplantation issues. The first heart transplant in the world was performed in 1964 by James Hardy from the USA, but it involved transplanting a chimpanzee heart into a human. The patient was terminally ill, and the new heart beat in his chest for 60 to 90 minutes. This man died without regaining consciousness. Before attempting to transplant a human heart, Barnard conducted 48 transplants in dogs, none of which survived longer than ten days. Despite this, when counseling his patient Louis Washkansky and his wife Ann, the surgeon gave an 80% chance of success for the transplant. He was later criticized for this by colleagues. However, Barnard explained: "For a dying person, this is not a difficult decision because he knows he is at the end. If a lion is chasing you to the edge of a river full of crocodiles, you will jump into the water, confident that you have a chance to swim to the other side." Louis Washkansky, a 54-year-old grocer, was terminally ill: he had diabetes and an incurable heart condition.
However, the patient's consent was not enough. A donor was also needed. The donor was a young woman, Denise Darvall, who died in a car accident on December 2, 1967. She suffered two skull fractures, and her brain was dead. Denise's father gave permission to use his daughter's heart for transplantation. The operation was performed early on December 3. Barnard was assisted by his younger brother, and a total of thirty staff members were involved. The procedure lasted about five hours. Louis Washkansky regained consciousness after the operation, communicated normally, and felt temporarily better. However, later the immunosuppressants prescribed to help the heart "take" had the opposite effect: due to weakened immunity, he quickly developed pneumonia and died.
Despite this, the operation was recognized as a success worldwide. Barnard became a celebrity. His success was sought to be replicated by doctors in various countries. In 1968, about 100 transplants were performed worldwide. However, only a third of the patients lived longer than three months. Barnard performed his second heart transplant on January 2, 1968. His patient lived for 19 months after it. The most successful of his transplants occurred in 1971, when his patient Dirk Van Zyl lived for 23 years after the operation.
On December 3, 1979, the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran came into effect, approved by 99.5% of votes in a nationwide referendum. Read more.
On December 3, 1984, one of the largest industrial disasters in history occurred at a pesticide plant in Bhopal, India. Due to a toxic gas leak, about 2,500 people died, and several tens of thousands lost their eyesight. Read more.
On December 3, 1989, on the second day of the Malta Summit, Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev and U.S. President George H.W. Bush announced the end of the "Cold War" era and the beginning of a "new era" in relations between the two superpowers.
On December 3, 1991, Hungary recognized Ukraine's independence.
On December 3, 2004, the Supreme Court declared the Central Election Commission's decision regarding the presidential election results illegal, and the CEC protocol invalid. Following this, a third round of presidential elections was held in Ukraine, where Viktor Yushchenko emerged victorious.
Church Holiday on December 3
On December 3 according to the new church calendar in Ukraine, the memory of the prophet Zephaniah is honored. He lived before our era and came from a noble lineage. Zephaniah lived in the royal palace, preached repentance, and assisted King Josiah in eradicating idolatry. He foresaw the calamities that befell the Jews, as well as Gaza, Ashkelon, Crete, the Moabites, Ammonites, and Ninevites.
Folk Signs
If snow falls on thawed ground or if little snow has fallen by this day, there will be a poor harvest next year.
If the firewood crackles in the stove, there will be severe frosts.
What Not to Do on December 3
Do not talk too much or engage in correspondence.
Do not be lazy.