World Book and Copyright Day is a annual event that falls on April 23 and was first celebrated in 1995.  The event was organized by UNESCO to promote reading, publishing and copyright.  The connection between April 23 and books was first made in 1923 by booksellers in Catalonia, prefix = st1 /Spainas a way to honor the author Miguel de Cervantes who died on that day. It became part of the celebrations of theSaint George'sDay (also April 23) in the region, where it has been a tradition since the medieval era for men to give roses to their lovers and since 1925 for women to give a book in exchange. In 1995, UNESCO decided that the World Book and Copyright Day would be celebrated on April 23 to  _ people who have made great contributions to social and cultural progress of mankind. The date is also the anniversary of the birth and death of William Shakespeare, the death of renowned authors Inca Garcilaso de la Vega and Josep Pla, the birth of Maurice Druon, Vladimir Nabokov, Manuel Mejia Vallejo and Halldor Laxness.  With the success of the World Book and Copyright Day, UNESCO developed the concept of World Book Capital City, selecting Madridas the capital for 2001. After this, UNESCO's General Conference resolved  to make the designation of a World Book Capital City an annual event and selected Beirut as this year's capital. Which of the following statements is TRUE?   _
Josep Pla and Halldor Laxness died on the same day. World Book and Copyright Day first connected books and April 23. The city of Beirut was known by more people on April 23 this year. The event was organized to protect reading, publishing and copyright.