👁️ 🗨️ Ophthalmologist's Day in Argentina

  On December 13, Ophthalmologist's Day is celebrated in Argentina, a date aimed at recognizing the work of professionals dedicated to eye health care. The event is mentioned in the list of events of the day on your open page of LA NACIÓN, but its origin and meaning date back to a much deeper history within Argentine and Latin American medicine.

🕰️ Origin of the commemoration

The Day of the Ophthalmologist is celebrated in honor of the birth of Dr. Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, which occurred on February 15, 1811, but the Argentine date of December 13 is due to a regional agreement adopted by ophthalmological entities in Latin America.

In 1952, during a meeting of specialists, it was decided to unify the celebration on this date for the entire region, with the aim of strengthening the professional identity and promoting the importance of eye care.

👨 ⚕️👩 ⚕️ Why is this date important?

Ophthalmology is one of the most sensitive and determining branches of medicine for quality of life. Specialists in this discipline:

• They diagnose and treat eye diseases.
• They prevent vision loss.
• They perform complex surgeries such as cataracts, glaucoma or retina.
• They accompany visual rehabilitation processes.
• They contribute to scientific research in eye health.

In a country where millions of people live with visual problems – from myopia to severe pathologies – their role is essential to guarantee autonomy, well-being and social development.

🔍 Current context in Argentina

Technological progress has profoundly transformed ophthalmological practice in the country:

• Incorporation of state-of-the-art lasers.
• Minimally invasive surgeries.
• High-precision imaging.
• Prevention programs in schools and vulnerable communities.

Despite these advances, challenges such as unequal access to visual checks, lack of preventive awareness, and the need to expand early detection campaigns remain.

🌟 A necessary tribute

Ophthalmologist's Day is an opportunity to:

• Recognize the dedication of those who protect one of the most valuable senses: sight.
• Promote periodic check-ups, which are essential to avoid silent diseases.
• Disseminate information about visual health in the media, schools and community spaces.

The event also invites us to reflect on the importance of ensuring that the entire population has access to quality eye care.

🛢️ Oil Day in Argentina — Full Review

  On December 13,  Argentina celebrates Oil Day, a key date in the country's productive history. The event commemorates the discovery of the first Argentine oil field, which occurred on December 13, 1907 in Comodoro Rivadavia, province of Chubut. That discovery marked a before and after in the national energy development and gave rise to an industry that transformed the economy, infrastructure and identity of Patagonia.

🕰️ The discovery that changed history

In 1907, during a drilling that was looking for water to supply the growing population of Comodoro Rivadavia, the workers found something unexpected: crude oil emanations. The finding was reported immediately and generated a huge impact on the national government, which understood the strategic importance of the resource.

This discovery:

• He promoted the creation of Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales (YPF) in 1922.
• He transformed Comodoro Rivadavia into the "national capital of oil".
• It began a stage of industrial and migratory expansion in the region.

⚙️ Oil as an engine of Argentine development

Since the beginning of the twentieth century, oil has become a fundamental resource for:

• The industrialization of the country.
• Land  , air and sea transport.
• Power generation.
• Petrochemical production (plastics, fertilizers, fuels, lubricants).
• Job creation in previously depopulated regions.

Argentina's oil industry not only generated wealth, but also boosted the construction of roads, ports, pipelines, and entire cities.

🏭 The industry today: between tradition and future

Today, Argentina continues to be an oil country of regional relevance. Some contemporary milestones:

• Vaca Muerta, one of the largest reservoirs of unconventional hydrocarbons in the world.
• Advances in  more efficient and safer extraction technologies.
• Debates on energy transition, renewable energies and sustainability.
• A sector that continues to be key for exports and the energy balance.

Oil Day invites us to reflect on how to balance economic development with environmental protection and energy diversification.

🌎 A tribute to those who build the industry

The date recognizes the work of:

• Engineers, geologists and technicians.
• Field and platform workers.
• Researchers and energy specialists.
• Communities that grew around oil activity.

Their work sustains one of the most complex and strategic production chains in the country.

🐒 World Monkey Day

 World Monkey Day is celebrated on December 14, a date created to raise awareness about the importance of protecting primates, their habitat and their role in ecosystems. Although today it is a globally recognized anniversary, its origin is curious and closely linked to the academic and artistic field.

🎨 An unexpected origin: the University of Michigan

Unlike other environmental dates promoted by international organizations, World Monkey Day was born in 2003 as part of a university art project at the University of Michigan. The initiative sought to draw attention to the situation of primates through humor, creativity and scientific dissemination.

Over time, the proposal went viral and was adopted by conservation organizations, zoos, schools and media around the world.

🌍 Why is this day celebrated?

The central goal is to protect monkeys and other primates, many of which are threatened by:

• The destruction of tropical forests.
• Illegal wildlife trafficking.
• Poaching.
• The loss of biodiversity.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), there are 264 known species of monkeys and at least 25 are in "critical danger of extinction", as mentioned in the article in LA NACIÓN.

🐒 Characteristics of monkeys

Monkeys are part of the primate order and are distinguished by:

• Have a tail (unlike apes).
• Possess opposable thumbs.
• Use tools to solve everyday tasks.
• Living in complex social groups.

Most species are found in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, regions where tropical forests are essential for their survival.

🇦🇷 Monkeys in Argentina

Northern Argentina is home to several species of primates, such as:

• The howler monkey.
• The caí or capuchin.
• The mirikiná or night monkey.

Many of these species are threatened by deforestation and illegal trafficking, so World Monkey Day also functions as a local call for the protection of native wildlife.

📢 A day to educate and act

World Monkey Day invites us to:

• Disseminate information on primate conservation.
• Promote public policies for environmental protection.
• To promote scientific research.
• Discourage the keeping of monkeys as pets.
• Promote educational activities in schools and media.

It is an ideal date to generate visual content, infographics, posts and awareness campaigns.

🚚 Trucker's Day in Argentina

 On December 15,  Argentina celebrates Trucker's Day, a date intended to recognize the essential work of those who drive trucks and sustain, day by day, the circulation of goods throughout the country. The event is mentioned in the list of events of December 15 in LA NACIÓN, and has been consolidated as a tribute to one of the most important labor activities for the national economy.

🕰️ Origin of the commemoration

Truckers' Day is celebrated on December 15 in memory of the founding of the Truck Drivers' Union, one of the most influential trade union organizations in the country. The date seeks to highlight the history of the sector, its growth and the fundamental role played by land transport workers.

Over time, the event transcended the union sphere and became a broader social recognition for those who travel thousands of kilometers to supply cities, towns and rural areas.

🚛 A trade that moves the country

The work of the truck driver is key to the functioning of the Argentine economy. Its work allows:

• Transport food, medicine, and essential products.
• Supply industries, shops and logistics centres.
• Connecting distant regions in a country of great territorial extension.
• Sustain production chains that depend on land transport.

In many cases, truck drivers are the only link between isolated communities and urban centers.

🧭 Challenges and demands of the profession

Being a truck driver involves a combination of technical skills, physical endurance and permanent responsibility. Among the main challenges are:

• Long days of driving.
• Adverse weather conditions.
• Extensive routes and, in some cases, in poor condition.
• Need for constant training in road safety and professional driving.
• Increasingly complex logistical demands.

Despite these difficulties, the sector remains one of the pillars of national transport.

🛣️ Freight transport in Argentina today

Truck transport represents more than 90% of the internal movement of goods in the country. In recent years, the activity has incorporated:

• Satellite tracking technologies.
• Smart logistics systems.
• More efficient and safer vehicles.
• Stricter road safety protocols.

Even so, debates persist about infrastructure, logistics costs and the need to modernize productive routes and corridors.

🌟 A necessary tribute

Trucker's Day is an opportunity to:

• Recognize the effort of those who work on the route.
• Value their role in the supply chain.
• Promote better working and safety conditions.
• To make visible the importance of land transport in everyday life.

It is an ideal date to generate journalistic, institutional or educational content on the impact of the sector on the economy and society.