Health and Environment Days: Dates and Their Reasons

The correct answer is B, 5 June. World Environment Day marks the opening of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment held at Stockholm in 1972, and it has been observed since 1974 under the lead of the United Nations Environment Programme, with a fresh theme and a host country each year. Option A is wrong because 22 April is Earth Day, which began in the United States in 1970 as a citizens' movement and is a different observance altogether. Option C is wrong because 8 June is World Oceans Day, devoted to the seas and to marine life. Option D is wrong because 16 September is World Ozone Day, which marks the signing of the Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer in 1987.

The correct answer is B, the World Health Organization came into being. The constitution of the World Health Organization took effect on 7 April 1948, and the anniversary of that day has been kept as World Health Day since 1950, with a theme chosen by the organisation; its headquarters are at Geneva in Switzerland. Option A is wrong because the Red Cross was founded in the eighteen sixties by Henry Dunant, and the day linked to it is 8 May, his birthday. Option C is wrong because penicillin was discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928, well before the World Health Organization existed, and no international day marks it. Option D is wrong because Edward Jenner gave the first vaccination against smallpox in 1796, which is not the reason for this date either.

The correct answer is B, Ramsar Convention. The Convention on Wetlands was signed on 2 February 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shore of the Caspian Sea, and the wetlands listed under it are still called Ramsar sites; the day has been observed on this date since 1997. Option A is wrong because the Basel Convention deals with the movement of hazardous wastes across borders and was adopted in 1989. Option C is wrong because CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, was adopted on 3 March 1973 and gives World Wildlife Day its date. Option D is wrong because the text of the Convention on Biological Diversity was adopted on 22 May 1992, which is why the International Day for Biological Diversity falls on that date.

The correct answer is A, 16 September. The day marks the signing of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer on 16 September 1987, an agreement to phase out chlorofluorocarbons and other ozone destroying chemicals, and it is often called the most successful environmental treaty. Option B is wrong because 5 June is World Environment Day, tied to the Stockholm Conference of 1972. Option C is wrong because 23 March is World Meteorological Day, which marks the day in 1950 on which the convention setting up the World Meteorological Organization came into force. Option D is wrong because 22 May is the International Day for Biological Diversity, tied to the adoption of the text of the Convention on Biological Diversity in 1992.

The correct answer is A, 1 December. World AIDS Day has been observed on the first of December since 1988 and was the first global health day of its kind, its symbol being the red ribbon; the theme changes every year and the day is used to press for testing, treatment and an end to stigma. Option B is wrong because 3 December is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Option C is wrong because 10 December is Human Rights Day, marking the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. Option D is wrong because 14 November is World Diabetes Day, placed on the birth anniversary of Frederick Banting, one of the discoverers of insulin, and in India the same date is observed as Children's Day.

The correct answer is B, 21 June. India proposed the day at the United Nations General Assembly, which adopted the resolution in December 2014, and the first observance was held in 2015; the date was chosen because 21 June is the summer solstice, the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. Option A is wrong because 21 March is the International Day of Forests, and it is also World Poetry Day. Option C is wrong because 1 July is National Doctors' Day in India, kept on the birth and death anniversary of Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy, who was a physician and Chief Minister of West Bengal. Option D is wrong because 12 May is International Nurses Day, observed on the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale.

The correct answer is A, 22 March. World Water Day was recommended by the Earth Summit held at Rio de Janeiro in 1992 and has been observed since 1993 to draw attention to fresh water, its scarcity and the target of water and sanitation for all. Option B is wrong because 23 March is World Meteorological Day, the anniversary of the coming into force of the convention that created the World Meteorological Organization in 1950. Option C is wrong because 2 February is World Wetlands Day, which takes its date from the signing of the Ramsar Convention in 1971. Option D is wrong because 8 June is World Oceans Day, which concerns the seas rather than fresh water; note that three days fall together on 22, 23 and 24 March.

The correct answer is A, 31 May. The World Health Organization began this observance in 1988 to draw attention to the health harm caused by tobacco in every form and to the industry's marketing, and each year it carries a theme, often aimed at young people. Option B is wrong because 31 March carries no such observance and is put there only as a near miss. Option C is wrong because 26 June is the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, which covers narcotic drugs rather than tobacco. Option D is wrong because 10 October is World Mental Health Day, begun by the World Federation for Mental Health in 1992. Two other tobacco-related facts sometimes asked are that India observes Anti-Leprosy Day on 30 January and National Cancer Awareness Day on 7 November.

The correct answer is B, Florence Nightingale. Florence Nightingale was born on 12 May 1820 and became famous for organising nursing care for wounded soldiers in the Crimean War, where her rounds at night earned her the name the Lady with the Lamp; she later founded the first professional school of nursing, and the highest international honour for nurses carries her name. Option A is wrong because Mother Teresa was born on 26 August and her work was with the destitute and dying at Kolkata. Option C is wrong because Marie Curie, born on 7 November, is remembered for radioactivity, and India keeps National Cancer Awareness Day on her birthday. Option D is wrong because Elizabeth Blackwell was the first woman to earn a medical degree in the United States, and no international day is kept for her.

The correct answer is B, the ABO blood groups. The day falls on the birth anniversary of Karl Landsteiner, born on 14 June 1868, who classified human blood into the groups A, B and O and thus made safe transfusion possible; he received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for this work. Option A is wrong because insulin was discovered by Frederick Banting with Charles Best, and Banting's birthday of 14 November is kept as World Diabetes Day. Option C is wrong because penicillin was discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928 and no international day marks his birth. Option D is wrong because the hepatitis B virus was discovered by Baruch Blumberg, whose birthday of 28 July is observed as World Hepatitis Day, a day easily confused with this one.

The correct answer is A, 29 July. International Tiger Day was agreed at the tiger summit held at Saint Petersburg in Russia in 2010, where the countries that still have wild tigers pledged to work towards doubling their numbers, and it has been observed on this date since then. Option B is wrong because 12 August is World Elephant Day, kept for the conservation of Asian and African elephants. Option C is wrong because 3 March is World Wildlife Day, which takes its date from the adoption of CITES in 1973 and covers all wild species rather than one. Option D is wrong because 4 October is World Animal Welfare Day; in India Wildlife Week runs from 2 to 8 October, and Project Tiger, which protects the tiger, was launched in 1973.

The correct answer is A, Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy. Bidhan Chandra Roy was born on 1 July 1882 and died on the same date in 1962, and since both fall on one day India keeps 1 July as National Doctors' Day; he was a distinguished physician, served as Chief Minister of West Bengal and was awarded the Bharat Ratna. Option B is wrong because Dr Jivraj Mehta, though the first Chief Minister of Gujarat and a noted doctor, has no day named after him. Option C is wrong because Dr Rajendra Prasad was the first President of India, a lawyer by training, and the doctor in his title was an academic degree. Option D is wrong because Dr Hargobind Khorana was a Nobel laureate in medicine for work on the genetic code, and no national day is kept on his birthday.