Wednesday, 30 July 2025 International Friendship Day, officially recognized by the United Nations, is celebrated annually on 30 July to emphasize the importance of friendship in fostering peace, solidarity, and mutual understanding among peoples and cultures across the globe. The day encourages individuals, communities, and nations to build bridges of harmony, especially in times of rising tension, conflict, or division.
Vlad the Impaler (Vlad III Dracula) – Wallachia’s Bloody Prince Reign: 1448, 1456–1462, 1476 Region: Wallachia (present-day Romania) Legacy: A symbol of resistance, brutality, and myth; the inspiration for Count Dracula Early Life and Rise to Power Vlad III, later known as Vlad the Impaler, was born in 1431 in the fortress town of Sighișoara in Transylvania, a region tied to the volatile politics of Eastern Europe. His father, Vlad II Dracul, was a member of the Order of the Dragon—a Christian military order created to defend Europe from the rising tide of Ottoman power. The name “Dracul” means “dragon,” and Vlad III’s name, Dracula, originally meant “son of the dragon.” In modern Romanian, however, “Drac” also means “devil,” lending his name a more sinister tone. Vlad’s early life was marked by betrayal and captivity. In 1442, he and his younger brother Radu were handed over as political hostages to the Ottoman Sultan Murad II. While in Ottoman custody, Vlad learned Turkish, mil...