Today’s Motto: ‘There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you’

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

On this day, 26 Feb….

1797 – Bank of England issues first £1-note.

1895 – Michael Joseph Owens of Ohio patented a glass-blowing machine. He later became a co-founder of the glass industry. The world’s first fully automatic machine he invented was a revolution in glass bottle making.

1910 – Gandhi supports the African People’s Organisations’ resolution to declare the day of arrival of the Prince of Wales in South Africa as  a day of mourning in protest  against the South Africa Acts on disenfranchisement of Indians, Coloureds and Africans in the upcoming Union of South Africa.

1935 – The feasibility of radar (Radio Detection And Ranging) was demonstrated to Air Ministry officials

at Daventry, England, by Robert Watson-Watt, a Scottish physicist. By 1939, the outbreak of WW II, the military installed a chain of radar stations along the east and south coasts of England to prevent a German invasion (pic credit-blog.sciencemuseum.org.uk).

1936 – Hitler introduces Ferdinand Porsche’s “Volkswagen”.

1975 – Bhanubhai Shah established the first kite museum of India called ‘Shankar Kendara’ in Ahmedabad.

2001 – The Taliban destroy two giant Buddha statues in Bamyan, Afghanistan (pic credit-

Reddit.com).

2013 – A flexible battery capable of being charged wirelessly and folded and stretched is developed.

2019 – India launches Air strikes on alleged terrorist camps in Balakot in Pakistan to neutralize terrorist training camps under Jaishe-Mohammad banner,  across Pakistan borders in Balakot areas. It is believed over 30 terrorist or accomplises were killed and their camps destoyed by 2  Indian Air Force planes. One airplane was  damaged in the attack and its pilot Group Captain Abhinanandan Varthman  was taken in custody by Pak. On strong warning by Indian Govt. led by PM Modi, our pilot was released back safely.

Born…. 1829 – Levi Strauss. German businessman who launched a successful clothing brand in 1853 in California.  His company making  premuim Blue Jeans  has a current net worth of  $ 7.28 billion.

1852 – John Harvey Kellogg, American physician and health-food pioneer whose development of dry breakfast cereals was largely responsible for the creation of the flaked-cereal industry.

1932 – Johanny Cash. The best selling  American singer, music composer  having sold 90 million records. His songs Folsom Prison Blues, I Walk the Line, Rings of Fire, Get Rhytham, Man In Black, Hey Porter, Rusty  Personal  Jesus  etc. were  crazes  of his time.

1936 – Manmohan Desai, film producer and director. Known as a great showman of Bollywood, he produced  several blockbuster films like Naseeb, Kismat, Mard, Amar Akbar Anthony, Kismat, Suhaag, Coolie etc. His father Kiubhai Desai owned Paramount Studios (later Filmalaya).  Started as director in 1957 with Janam Janam Ke Phere and went to make Chhalia, Bluffmaster, Badtameez, Dharamveer, Sachcha Jhootha, Chacha Bhatija etc. He won many accolades for his contribution to film industry, including Filmfare and regional awards.

RIP….  1966 – Vinayak Damodar Savarkar “Veer”, great revolutionary freedom fighter, social reformer, politician and writer. He was known for the first person to flee by swimming from Port Blair Jail and was associated with right-wing Hindu Mahasabha, started the Abinav Bharat as a secret society of revolutionary terrorists.

1994 – Bill Hicks. American-British  satirist and  stand -up comedian, who later became critic of American society and system. His works Comedy’s Dirties Dozen, Rant in E-mirror, Revelations, Sane Man etc. won him many awards.

2024 – Pankaj Udhas. Legendary Bhajan and  ghazal singer. He also sang for many Bollywood films like Naam, Mohra, Ghayal, etc. His songs Chithi Aayi Hai, Aahista are very popular. He was awarded Padma Shri in 2006 and Padma Bhushan in 2025.

You may have known….

The first five-year plan (1951-56) became operational only four years after Independence. The main thrust of the plan was on agriculture because the country was facing shortage of food-grains at that time. Therefore, the emphasis was on increasing capacity of existing industries rather than starting new ones. Cotton textile, sugar, vanaspati, cement, paper, chemical and engineering industries showed some progress.

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