Today’s Motto: ‘A leader keeps his focus on finding answers – not excuses’

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

On this day, 27 Oct….

1873 – Farmer Joseph F. Glidden applied for a patent on barbed wire. (The barbs were cut from sheet metal and were inserted between two wires which were twisted considerably more than with today’s common design. This product would transform the West. Before this innovation, settlers on the treeless plains had no easy way to fence livestock away from cropland, and ranchers had no way to prevent their herds from roaming far and wide. Glidden’s barbed wire opened the plains to large-scale farming and closed the open range, bringing the era of the cowboy and the round-up to an end. Glidden eventually received five patents and is generally considered the inventor of barbed wire.

1891 – Philip B. Downing, inventor, was awarded a U.S. patent for an improvement to the street  Mail Box. This improvement in the covering and opening of outdoor mailboxes protected mail from both intruders and weather. It is relatively unchanged to this day.

1904 – The first rapid transit subway, the IRT (Interborough Rapid Transit), was opened in New York City by Mayor McLellan. (Even with elevated train lines springing up around the city, the need for an underground rapid transit railroad was obvious to clear street congestion and spread city development into the outlying areas. Almost 8,000 men participated in building the 33.6 km route, under chief engineer William Barclay Parsons. Building the subway was a complex and dangerous task; at least 44 people died in the effort).

1913 – Woodrow  Wilson, the 28th President of  the United States declares; “US will never attack another country”.

1925 – Water skiis patented by an inventor and film techinician Fredrick  Waller. Fred  worked for Paramount Pictures USA and also pioneered Curved Film screens in Cinema Halls, for which he was  bestowed Academy Award in 1953-54. He patented 16  innovations for film screening and viewing comforts.

1947 – Indian Government accepts Jammu and Kashmir ruler, Maharaja Harisingh’s accession request, by merging Jammu and Kashmir in India and sends  troops to chase away Pakistani infiltrators. Accession of Jammu and Kashmir was then officially announced. No 12 Sqn was to initiate the remarkable feat of air-lifting the first Sikhs from Palam onto the rough and dusty Srinagar airstrip without planning or reconnaissance as the initial Indian response to the sizeable insurgent forces that were pouring across the border into Jammu and Kashmir.

1979 – Voluntary Euthanasia Society publishes how-to-do-it suicide guide.

2010 – A free trade accord between India and Malaysia is announced.

2017 – Indian surgeons successfully separate conjoined twins joined at the head in New Delhi.

2022 – Elon Musk takes ownership and control of Twitter, immediately fires 4 executives.He was financer and crucial team  member of DonaldTrumps camapign for 2024 Presidency and project  MAGA  but resigned latern due to some serious  differences.

Born…. 1920 – KR Narayanan, scholar, diplomat, minister, ambassador and 10th President from 1997-2002.

1923 – Arvind Navinchandra Mafatlal, famous industrialist. He was a social reformer, and visionary leader whose vision and leadership played a prominent role in putting India on the global economic growth spectrum. He was 3rd generation  entreprneur of  Mafatlal Industries, Ahmedabad (estd. by Mafatlal Gagalbhai in 1905)  who expanded his textile fabric range to Readymade garments, industrial garments, chemicals, engineering and finance etc. The group now has a turnover of Rs. 2,807 crores  FY’25.

1954 – Dr. Anuradha Paudwal, a leading playback singer of Hindi cinema. She started her career with Amitabh and Jaya’s film Abhimaan in 1973 and was at the peak of her career in the nineties. Anuradha never took classical music training, saying that he tried many times but it did not work. She made her own notes as soon as she listened to Lataji and practised herself for hours.

1984 – Irfan Pathan. Indian cricket all rounder has played 29 Test  matches, taken 100 wickets, 120 ODIs with 173 wkts.  Baroda, Gujarat born  Pathan  plays for Gujarat Titans in IPL format. His elder brother Yousuf Pathan is also a very proloific batsman. Irfan was awarded Emerging Players Award in 2004 and  got 10 wickets against Zimbave in 2005-06 away series. He has also worked for a Tamil and some Hindi films/TV shows.

RIP.... 1605 – Moughal emperor Akbar dies, and is succeeded by his son Jahangir.

1969 – Darshansingh Pheruman died in Amritsar during the 74th day of his fast, which he had undertaken for the merger of Chandigarh in Punjab.  Pheruman  had erarlier been with Swatantra Party and Congress Party.

1987 – Vijay  Merchant  (Vijay Singh Madhavji Merchant) was an Indian cricketer. A right-hand batsman and occasional right-arm medium pace bowler, Merchant played first-class cricket for Bombay team and  Indian team he played  10 Tests between 1929 -51 and scored  3 centuries, 3  fifties, yet his batting average of 71.64 was 2nd only to legendary Australian Don Bradman at his times. He scored 11 double centuries in First Class cricket, was a coach and selector for some years. He was appointed Sheriff of Bombay in 1970  (pic credit-mid-day.com).

2001 – Pradeep Kumar, veteran Bengali and Bollywood actor  of  Golden and  melodious era.  He acted in  Anarkali, Naagin, Aarti, Taj Mahal, Bheegi Raat, Adalat, Ghunghat, Sanjog,  Bahu Begam, Shirin Ferhad, Duniya, Swami Vivekanand etc. He was  awarded Filmfare and many other film honors;  also   Kalakar Lifetime  Achievement  award  in 1999 (pic credit-anytvnews.com).

You may have known…. 1.   India is expected to become the world’s third-largest economy by 2030 with GDP reaching approximately $7.3 trillion.

2.   Tossing a coin overboard before setting sail was thought to appease the gods and guarantee a prosperous journey. This tradition persisted across cultures, from ancient Greece to Viking Scandinavia. On the contrary, dropping a stone from a departing vessel was considered a bad omen, as it seemingly had the opposite effect, ensuring the ship would never return.                                                                                                                                {Compiled by Lt. Gen. (R)  Raj Kadyan}

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