site.btaToday's Observances: July 15-16

 July 15

On this date in Bulgarian history:

1878: Bulgarian Territorial Troops established by Order No. 1 of Imperial Russian Commissioner, Prince Alexander Dondukov-Korsakov. Birthday of Bulgarian Armed Forces.

1966: Cooperation agreement signed with Soviet Union on nuclear power plant construction at Kozloduy (Northwestern Bulgaria) on River Danube. Ground-breaking ceremony October 14, 1969, plant inaugurated September 4, 1974.

1987: Bulgaria and Greece declare themselves in favour of denuclearization of Balkan Peninsula.

1992: National Plant Protection, Quarantine and Agrochemistry Service set up.

1994: Chamber of Chemical Industry established. 

1999: Vocational Education and Training Act adopted.  

2000: Israeli National Fund decides to remove memorial plaque in honour of King Boris III and Queen Ioanna, mounted in 1998 to commemorate rescue of Bulgarian Jews from deportation to Nazi death camps during World War II. 

2001: President Peter Stoyanov mandates former king Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, as leader of Simeon II National Movement, to form cabinet.

2004: Privatization sale of 67 per cent state-owned shareholdings in seven electricity distribution companies worth 693.2 million euro is approved. 
 
2005: Bulgaria's first twins from frozen embryo are born at St Sophia Maternity Hospital in Sofia.

 July 16

The world:

National Day of Remembrance of the victims of racist and anti-Semitic persecutions by the French State and of tribute to the righteous of France. On July 16-17, 1942, police officers gather over 13,000 Jews at the Parisian indoor cycle-racing track, who are then handed over to the Germans. The day was commemorated for the first time in 1993.

On this date in Bulgarian history:

1877: Russian troops liberate town of Nikopol in Russo-Turkish War.

2006: Bulgaria acquires active observer status in Europol Security Committee.

2007: First aerospace monitoring centre is unveiled at National Civil Protection Service.