Motto for Today: ‘In all human endeavours, persistence is synonymous with victory.’

This is Your Day-TODAY: Take a Determined Step Forward and Make History!

On this day, Apr.25……

1684 – Patent granted for thimble. (The Old English word þȳmel, the ancestor of thimble, is derived from Old English þūma, the ancestor of our word thumb).

1792 – In Paris, the guillotine was used for the first time on a human, highwayman Nicolas Jacques Pelletier, after having been tested on corpses and sheep. The severed head fell into a wicker basket; sawdust absorbed the blood. According to the Chronique de Paris, “The people were not satisfied at all. … Everything happened too fast. They dispersed with disappointment,” wanting the gallows back, with more spectacle.

1859 – Work began on the 100-mile Suez Canal in Egypt. French engineer Ferdinand vicomte de Lesseps supervised the project to link the Mediterranean and the Red Seas. The 100-mile long canal provides a direct transportation route for trade between Europe and Asia.

Ship’s convoy passing through Suez Canal

1915 – The German High Command admitted that chlorine gas bombs and shells had been used in the attack on the French front at Ypres three days earlier. The effect of the gas attack was to open a four-mile gap in the Allied line. The Canadian troops on one flank held against German attacks, and British and Indian forces filled the breach. Fortunately for the Allies, the Germans had no reserve forces available to push into the breach. No tactical advantage was won by this first use of the new weapon. The Germans promised, however, that “more effective substances can be expected.” Meanwhile, they were condemned for the use of this novel weapon.

1959 – The earliest known case of AIDS was admitted. He died 4 1/2 months later.

1961 – The integrated circuit was patented by Robert Noyce.

1982 – India’s first telecast colour broadcasting started on Doordarshan.

1993 – Indian Airlines plane hijacker shot dead by commandoes. All 141 persons rescued.

1998 – India protests against Pakistan raising the Kashmir issue at the first SAARC Information Ministers conference in Dhaka.

2015 – A 7.9-magnitude earthquake hits Nepal, causing over 2,400 deaths, fatal avalanches on Mt. Everest, and destruction of historic sites such as the Dharahara tower.

2019 – Thousands march in Khartoum, Sudan calling for civilian rule.

Born….

1989 – Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, 11th Panchen Lama, born in Lhari County, Tibet.

RIP….

1968 – Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, singer.

2005 – Swami Ranganathananda, monk.

You may have known….

In the 1880s families could buy foldaway bathtubs, and tubs that doubled as sofas.

 

{Compiled by Lt. Gen. (R) Raj Kadyan}