Dear editors! I, a historian and journalist, was prompted to take up the pen by the growing disregard for our past in our society. This disregard is characteristic of both journalists from tabloid "yellow" publications and a number of government officials who are supposed to be precise and responsible in their actions and decisions.

I remember when I was in the third or fourth grade, my classmate had a conflict with his teacher because, at his young age, he couldn't understand why the revolution was called the October Revolution when it was celebrated on November 7. It was difficult for him to comprehend that due to the difference in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, 13 days had to be added to the old-style date. Of course, every educated and cultured person knows that this rule only applies to the 20th century. And to the dates relating to the 19th century, already added 12 days, to the XYIII century -Ni so on. In the end, my classmate mastered this in general, not difficult rule of chronology, and from his diary disappeared twos.

Alas, the State Duma deputies remained "losers". And they force all Russians to be such. An exaggeration? Not at all. The Law "On Days of Military Glory (Victory Days)" has been in force since 1995 Russia ", and in it that no date is an error. When preparing his project, the developers added 13 days to all dates starting from the XII century - from the Ice Battle, without any amount of effort. Apparently, they couldn't handle basic education at the time, and they simply dismissed the legitimate objections of historians, including military historians.

To be fair, the law was passed by the previous Duma. Unfortunately, the current Duma has neither the time nor the desire to make the necessary adjustments. As a result, the victory of Alexander Nevsky over the German knights on Lake Peipus is celebrated not on April 12, as it should be, but on April 18, the anniversary of the Battle of Kulikovo (September 16) is celebrated on September 21, and the first victory of the Russian Navy at Cape Gangut (August 7) is celebrated on August 9.

Some people will dismiss it out of habit, saying that this is not the kind of thing that should be on their minds today, when they have so many other problems. However, the Duma's repeated calls for patriotic education, particularly in response to the Balkan crisis, have undermined the historical integrity of the Russian people and caused confusion in educational and reference materials.

The damage to historical sanity caused by this attitude towards our history is equally dangerous, regardless of whether it is based on ignorance or malicious intent.

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