On the Independence Day of Argentina (the 9th of July) we celebrated together here at Nobel and wished a joyful day to our wonderful team members from Argentina!
We are excited and feel so lucky to have amazing colleagues from all over the world. On this special occasion, we discovered new things about the history and culture of Argentina and learned about the natural wonders this beautiful country has to offer.
Did you know that?
- Día de la Independencia commemorates the day when Argentina declared its independence from the Spanish government called Virreinato del Río de la Plata which was created in 1776 and ruled most of South America at the time.
- On July 9th, 1816, 29 Argentinian representatives concluded the process that started on May 25th, 1810 with the Revolución de Mayo (May Revolution) by signing the Act of Independence of the Provincias Unidas del Sur (United Provinces of the South), what we know today as República Argentina (Argentinian Republic).
- Argentina’s flag was originally created in Capilla del Rosario (today Ciudad de Rosario) in 1812 by General Manuel Belgrano (one of the greatest heroes of Argentina) and it featured two light blue horizontal stripes with a white one in the middle. In 1816, a 32-ray sun was added and adopted until the present day (although some versions of the flag do not include it).
- The significance of the flag colors has been a matter of argument for many years. Some say it represents the sky (they say Belgrano was inspired by a sunny victorious day), others say the blue represents the water from the Río de la Plata, while the white symbolizes the silver from where Argentina gets its name (the latin word “argentum” means silver).
- The highest mountain peak in the Americas can be found in Argentina, at Aconcagua, with a height of 6,962 meters!
- Argentina is home to the world’s widest avenue, named after the Independence Day of Argentina: 9 de Julio. It’s 110 meters wide and divided into 16 lanes!
- Perito Moreno glacier, Iguazú falls, Aconcagua hill, Moon valley are only a few of the many natural wonders in beautiful Argentina.
- Río de la Plata (219 km wide) in Argentina is the world’s widest river!
- Argentina is the birth place of three of the top football players in all history: Alfredo Di Stéfano, Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi. And it’s the greatest understatement of all time to say that Argentinians are crazy about football!
There are many other people from Argentina who had valuable contributions to mankind:
- Raul Pateras was the Argentinian inventor responsible for the first piloted and motored helicopter.
- Argentinian police officer Juan Vucetich was the one to create the first system of identification and classification of human fingerprints.
- It is said that Argentinian inventor Ladislao Biró was the creator of none less than the ballpoint pen.
- Disposable syringes were invented by Carlos Arcusin in 1989.
- “Traffic lights” for blind people were invented by Mario Dávila in 1983. They make different sounds to let people know when they should walk or not.
Special thanks to our colleague Joaquín de Zuasnabar for sharing with us a piece of his native Argentina!
“Besides the vast, numerous natural attractions, our country is filled with diverse culture, passionate dances, music and sports, delicious dishes (I’m sure you’ve heard of Argentinian barbecue, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg) and amusing, ardent, warm people (we are intense, yes, yes, we are very intense human beings).
Many reasons make me feel proud of being Argentinian. Home of great people, our country has always welcomed lots of immigrants which has made us such a diverse culture.
Our public education (specially our universities) have been top of the region for decades. Marvelous land of talented amateur and professional athletes, top of the notch cooks, brilliant scientists, gifted musicians, ingenious comedians and many more.
<<We can be the best of the best, or the worst of the worst just as easily>> says Bersuit Vergarabat in famed song <<La argentinidad al palo>> and this cannot be truer. We’ve gone through dark times and risen once and again.
There’s a common say in Argentina that says we are <<the best country of the world>>.
It’s a joke of course but, to be honest, we kind of believe it a bit.” – Joaquín de Zuasnabar (Nobel Country Ambassador from Argentina)