Why is Friend’s Day celebrated on July 20? The story that unites an Argentine with the arrival of man on the Moon

( Spanish) — As every July 20, the inhabitants of Argentina and other countries in the region meet their loved ones to celebrate Friendship Day.

Although many take advantage of the occasion to meet and share a good time, not everyone knows the curious story behind this date. What makes it so striking is that it links an Argentine dentist with the arrival of man on the Moon.

On July 20, 1969, astronaut Buzz Aldrin uttered the well-remembered phrase “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” as he set foot on the lunar surface.

This scientific milestone astonished the dentist Enrique Ernesto Febbraro, who from his office in Lomas de Zamora, a town in the province of Buenos Aires, wrote and sent 1,000 letters to people in 100 countries.

Upon receiving around 700 responses, Febbraro began his initiative to install this date as International Friendship Day.

The first official recognition came from the government of the Province of Buenos Aires, which through a decree of February 20, 1979 made the festival official at the local level with the motto “a town of friends is an unbeatable Nation.”

Since then, the event has been adopted by the rest of the country, joined by other neighboring nations, such as Brazil, Chile and Uruguay.

Enrique Febbraro, who was nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize and practiced other professions such as teaching philosophy, psychology and history, was also a founding member of the Rotary Club of Once, in the city of Buenos Aires.

The father of this event passed away in 2008, but he left a legacy on a symbolic date that unites people from different parts of Latin America.