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23 August 2025 marks the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi forces by Soviet troops in the Battle of Kursk. This day is officially declared Military Glory Day in Russia. In July-August 1943, one of the largest battles of the Great Patriotic War unfolded in the area of Oryol, Kursk, Belgorod, and Kharkov.

Fifty years ago, in 1975, Yuri Valentinovich Knorozov published his monograph "Hieroglyphic Manuscripts of the Maya." For this work, which became a scientific and cultural sensation around the world, its author was awarded the USSR State Prize. The most amazing thing is that the scientist was able to decipher the writings of a mysterious civilisation without ever having been to Mexico! In the USSR, his achievements were compared to the successes in space exploration. Information about the life and work of Yuri Knorozov, as well as details about his discovery, can be found in the section "Outstanding Scientists and Inventors" of the "Great Russia" project implemented by the Presidential Library.

On 7 August (18 August according to the new calendar) 1782, a monument to the founder of the city, Emperor Peter I, was unveiled on Senate Square in St. Petersburg. Later, thanks to Alexander Pushkin's famous poem, the sculpture was named "The Bronze Horseman," although it is actually made of bronze.

15 August is the Day of Staraya Ladoga, the first capital of Russia. Here the Russian statehood was born, the world trade routes "from Varangians to Greeks" and "from Varangians to Arabs" passed by, the great cultures of the East and the West met, here the founder of the ruling dynasty of Ancient Russia Rurik started his way and here, according to the Novgorod Chronicle, Prophetic Oleg, Rurik's successor, was buried.