Today’s Motto: ‘The past provides a reference point, not a residence’.

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

On this day, July 27………
1586 – Potatoes were introduced to Britain by Sir Thomas Harriot, an English scientist and mathematician, according to one traditional—but doubtful—story. (In fact, the origin of the potato is not definitively known, and there are other theories. It is known that Harriot was on a 1585 expedition to Virginia, where he stayed to survey and report on the resources there. That expedition returned to England, landing at Plymouth on 27 Jul 1586. Harriot may have brought back plant specimens, and the story suggests he gave a sample from Virginia to his patron, Sir Walter Raleigh, who grew it on his Irish estate. However, Harriot’s report published in 1587 describes plants he observed, none named as a potato, nor that match the ordinary potato. Furthermore, the potato is not recognized as being indigenous in Virginia).

1586 – Sir Walter Raleigh brought the first tobacco to England from Virginia (image credit – Historical Royal Palaces).

1823 – The Döbereiner lighter process was invented by Johann Wolfgang Döbereiner. He directed a fine jet of hydrogen over platinum powder in air. The platinum glowed white hot and ignited the hydrogen. Within two days, he incorporated this effect to make a useful lighter. (His lamp design was quickly taken up by manufacturers to replace flint and tinder for fire-starting. It remained in use for several decades, despite the invention of the safety match in 1848. Berzelius gave the term catalysis, in 1835, to the effect of the metal.

1866 – Cyrus W. Field finally succeeded, after two failures, in laying the first underwater telegraph cable 1,686 miles long across the Atlantic Ocean between North America and Europe.

1888 – The first U.S. electric automobile, designed by Philip W. Pratt, was demonstrated in Boston, a tricycle powered by six Electrical Accumulator Company cells, weighing 90 pounds.
1920 – Radio compass used for 1st time for aircraft navigation.
1921 – Insulin was isolated at Toronto University by Canadians Sir Frederick Banting and Charles Best. It proved an effective treatment for diabetes.
1949 – The British De Havilland Comet, the world’s first jet-propelled airliner, made its maiden flight in England. (Before the time of the Comet. today’s speed and comfort standards did not exist. Commercial transport used piston engines and most planes were akin to WW2 aircraft. Flying was made difficult by the bad weather of low cruising levels; the cruising speed was reduced making long trips a tough and exhausting matter. The development of jet-engines in WW2 led to a new milestone in commercial air transport).
1949 – Agreement reached on the ceasefire line in Kashmir.
1994 – Parliament votes to ban tests for determining the sex of an unborn child, as these tests have resulted in thousands of aborted female foetuses.
2017 – Amazon founder Jeff Bezos briefly becomes world’s richest man at $91.4bn overtaking Bill Gates for half a day.
2021 – China tests a missile with a hypersonic weapon system, later called “very close” to a Sputnik moment by a US general.
2022 – 170-carat pink diamond the “Lulo Rose,” thought to be largest discovered in 300 years, announced found in Angola.
Born….

1967 – Rahul Bose, Bengal and Bollywood actor.
1977 – Rinkie Khanna, actress and daughter of veteran Bollywood hero Rajesh Khanna..
RIP….
1972 – Charu Majumdar, father of Naxalite Movement and the founder President of C.O.I.(M-L), died in prison.
1992 – Amjad Khan, famous film actor  and Sholey’s  villain Gabbar Khan.
You may have known….

Caribbean sperm whales have their own regional accent.

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