August, 29

1949 This day the test of the Soviet Union's first atom bomb took place. The test signified the success of the special committee created after the tragedy in Hiroshima and Nagasaki on the 20th of August, 1945.

August, 30

1860 Isaac Ilyich Levitan, Russian landscape painter, was born this day. At the beginning of 1870 his poor Jewish family moved to Moscow. Here in 1873 the young painter entered the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. For the first time his works were exhibited in 1877. His works became popular and one of them ‘Autumn day. Sokolniki' was bought by Pavel Mi­khailovich Tretyakov. In 1891 he joined the Peredvizhniki partnership. All the works by Levitan depicted the lyrical charm of Russian landscape. In 1898 he was named the head of the Landscape Studio.

August, 31

1941 This day an outstanding Russian poet Marina Ivanovna Tsvetae­va  committed a suicide. Her poetry became a natural result of her uncommon eccentric personality. Tsvetayeva was a wild genius that could not fit into the frames of any school. She was born on the 8th of October, 1892 in Moscow, and travelled a lot during her childhood. That is why at the age of 16 she started writing her lyrics in Russian, French and German. The first book of lyrics ‘Evening Album' was published in 1910. In adolescence she also predicted: ‘...my poems, like a precious wine, will have their time.' It was very true: only after her death her lyrics could have been freely published. But under the Soviet regime all her friends and family were arrested; her poetry wasn't published - she was a rebellious author and always expressed everything she felt. The poet's destiny was sad and tragic, with many obstacles, but her poetry is a sort of outstanding treasure of the Silver Century.

September, 1

1714 Thanks to Peter the Great's edict of Russia's the first public library was opened in Saint Petersburg on this day.

September, 2

1913 First All-Russian Sport Olympiad started in Kiev on this day.

September, 3

1875 The grand laying of Moscow State Historical Mu­se­um took pla­ce this day in the presence of Alexander II Ni­kolaevich and a huge crowd.

September, 4

1945 State Defense Committee was terminated this day. Created on June 30, 1941 as the body to supervise all the military and economic matters during the war period, the committee was headed by Joseph Stalin.

Compiled by Daria Chernyshova