Today’s Motto: ‘It is rare to meet a man so ignorant, that we couldn’t learn something from him’

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

On this day, 21 Aug ….

1888 – William Seward Burroughs of St. Louis, Missouri, a bank clerk, received patents on four adding machine applications, the first U.S. patents for a “Calculating-Machine” that the inventor would continue to improve and successfully market.

1986 – More than 1700 people died when toxic gas erupted from Lake Nyos, a volcanic lake in the West African nation of Cameroon. The gas was carbon dioxide which, being more dense than air, hugged the ground and flowed down valleys. The cloud travelled as far as 15 miles from the lake. It was moving fast enough to flatten vegetation, including a few trees. In addition to the human deaths caused by suffocation, 845 people were hospitalised and 3,000 cattle died (pic credit-wiki commons).

2000 – Uma Bharti, the Sanyasin -Member of Parliament of the BJP,  resigns from the Lok Sabha and the party’s national executive committee frollowing Liberhan Commission report on Babri Masjid demolition case. The four time Member Parliament from Khajuraho and once from Bhopal, was  also Madhya Pradesh chief minister in 2003 and  Union Minister in AB  Vajpayee Govt. earlier twice.

2008 – The Karwan-e-Aman bus service between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad, the capital of ‘Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir’,  resumed.

2017 – Johnson & Johnson is ordered to pay $417 million to a woman who develops ovarian cancer after using their talc-based products.

2018 – Water ice is first detected on the Moon by India’s Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft (2008-9) in findings published by scientists.

2024 – Afghanistan’s Taliban regime issues new vice and virtue laws banning the sound of women’s voices or singing in public and travelling anywhere without a male escort.

2025 – A 1642 -Will,  at the center of a legal battle over Shakespeare’s home is found after 150 years in an unlabeled box at the National Archives (pic credit-shakespeare.org.uk).

Born....  1911 – Ismat Chughtai. Famous Urdu novelist, short story  writer, film maker and  feminist. Marxist ideologist. Films Shikayat, Ziddi, Arzoo,   Garam Hawa, Darwaja,  Sone Ki Chidiya, Junoon etc. were based on her stories/dialogues.  She won  a National Film Award, a Filmfare, Soviet Land Nehru Award and many nominations.  She preferred a Burial after death, instead of cremation in a Grave.  She was awarded Padma Shri.  

1961 – V. B. Chandrasekhar, Indian  opening  bat and wicket-keeper;  represented Tamil Nadu and Goa in First Class and played for India in  7 ODIs in New Zealand- Australia in  1988,  His  highest score was 237 not out for TN against Goa in Ranji Trophy  (he carried the bat),  1995-96 season.  He coached Tamil Nadu team for a while,  but hanged himself in August  2019  out of dejection feeling.

1961 – Stephan Hillanburg, American writer, animator, producer, marine biologist. He won 6 Emmy awards and was nominated to 11 more,  17 Annie award nominations, 2 Bitish Academy awards, 2 nominations and several other acolades. He did some childrens short films and TV series. He had a net worth of $ 120 million.

1978 – Bhumika Chawla, Indian  actress who did Bollywood, Telugu and Tamil films viz., Yuvakudu, Naa Autograph, Missamma,  Sita Ramam, Tere Naam etc. and Zee TV shows Hip Hip Hurrey,  Fursat Mein etc. She won a Filmfare, 2 Nandi Awards, a Zee  TV award and several other nominations.

1986 – Usain Bolt, Jamaican sprinter who is regarded as one of the greatest  sprinters who has 8 Olympic Golds in 100 m, 200m and 4 x 100 m.relay. He holds  World Record in 100 m  World Althetics in 2009 (pic credit-AP).

RIP…. 1978 – Vinoo Mankad, Indian all rounder and captain  (44 Tests, scored 2,109 runs). He is credited with Record opening Partnership of 413  runs  with Pankaj Roy in 1956  having 231 runs  to his credit.  The match was played at Chennai against New Zealand.  He is also known for Mankading a batsman  (run  out for being too far  from the  crease) while backing up at non-striker’s end. He had earlier warned the player for his error.

1995 – Subrahmanyam Chandrasekhar, was an astrophysicist and winner of the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physics. He was educated at the Presidency College, Chennai. He was the nephew of Nobel laureate Sir CV Raman.

2006 – Ustad Bismillah Khan,  legendary Shehnai player born in Dumraon Bihar but moved to Benaras and learnt  the art from his maternal uncle there. Known as Ustad, he performed Shehnai Vadan at Red Fort on August 15, 1947,   who mesmerised audience world over with his  performance. He was awarded Bharat Ratna in 2001.

You may have known…. In 2009, over 5.3% of India’s population was over 65 years. In 2025 it was 7%.                                                                                    {Compiled by Lt. Gen. (R)  Raj Kadyan}