site.btaObservances: February 14-15

February 14

Bulgaria:

- Vine-growers' Day;

- Bulgarian Archaeologists' Day.

- Repose of St Constantine Cyril the Philosopher, inventor of the Slavic script.

The world:

- St Valentine's Day.

On this date in Bulgarian history:

1941: Sofia's first trolley bus service is launched.

1994: Bulgaria formally joins NATO's Partnership for Peace initiative.

1997: Multifunctional building of Bulgaria's Antarctic Base opens on Livingston Island.

2001: Flag-carrier Balkan Airlines stops operating.

2008: Diplomatic relations are established with Monaco at embassy level.

February 15

The world:

- Serbian Statehood Day (instituted on July 10, 2001);

- International Day of Children with Cancer.

On this date in Bulgarian history:

1950: Bulgaria's first foreign language secondary school opens in Lovech as a successor to an American all-girls school.

1990: The first party after the fall of Todor Zhivkov - the Green Party - is registered under the Persons and Family Act.

1994: Diplomatic relations are established with Belize. 

1997: The Union of Democratic Forces Coalition becomes a political party at its 9th National Conference.

2000: Bulgaria's accession negotiations with the EU open officially in Brussels.