Motto for Today: ‘If you want to fly, you have to give up what weighs you down.’

INDIA IS ON THE MOVE. IT IS NOT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PRIME MINISTER OR HIS GOVERNMENT ALONE. WE ALL HAVE TO LEND OUR HANDS TO PUSH THE WHEELS OF PROGRESS FORWARD. AND WHEN 280 CRORE HANDS DO SO COLLECTIVELY, NO GOAL CAN BE BEYOND OUR REACH.

On this day, 26 Jan.26……..

1697 – Isaac Newton received and solved Jean Bernoulli’s brachistochrone problem. The Swiss mathematician Bernoulli had challenged his colleagues to solve it within six months. Newton not only solved the problem before going to bed that same night, but in doing so, invented a new branch of mathematics called the calculus of variations. Newton, age 55, sent the solution to be published, at his request, anonymously. But the brilliant originality of the work betrayed his identity, for when Bernoulli saw the solution he commented, “We recognize the lion by his claw.”

1875 – George F. Green of Kalamazoo, Michigan, patented the electric dental drill for sawing, filing, dressing and polishing teeth, described as an “electromagnetic dental tool”.

1905 – The world’s largest gem-quality diamond was discovered in the Premier mine in Transvaal (a British crown colony that later became part of South Africa).

1911 – Glenn Curtiss piloted the first hydroplane flight at North Island, San Diego, California, with a successful take-off from water and landing on water, rose six feet and flew about two or three hundred yards.

1926 – 1st public demonstration of television by John Logie Baird in his laboratory in London.

1929 – Indian National Congress proclaims goal for India’s independence.

1954 – To demonstrate to reporters the functionality of the atomic battery newly developed by Radio Corporation of America, chairman David Sarnoff used the electricity it generated to produce a sound message.

1950 – India became a Republic within the British Commonwealth, ceasing to be a British dominion. Constitution of India goes into effect. (While India gained independence from the British Raj in 1947, it wasn’t until this day, that the Constitution of India came into effect, and the country became a sovereign state, declaring it a republic.

1950 – Government of India accepted the National Emblem. It consisted of Head of Lion which is taken from Ashok pillar situated near Sarnath.

1965 – Hindi Language is accepted as National language of India.

1997 – Delhi becomes the first state in India to enforce a ban on smoking in all public places.

1997 – Government prohibits manual scavenging and construction of dry latrines in six states (AP, Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tripura, West Bengal) and all UTs.

1997 – Mizoram becomes a dry state, the fourth, after Gujarat, AP and Haryana.

2001 – An earthquake hits Gujarat, causing more than 20,000 deaths.

Born….

1927 – Air Chief Marshall Laxman Madhav Katre, former Air Chief.

1957 – Shivlal Nandlal Yadav, cricketer (Indian off-spinner 102 Test wickets 1979-87).

RIP….

1992 – Bharat Bhushan, the legendary romantic film hero of the 1950’s.

2012 – Kartar Duggal, writer.

Titbits….

2010 – James Cameron’s film, Avatar, surpasses his 1997 film Titanic, and becomes the highest grossing film of all time.

You may have known….

In 18th Century London, you could pay for entry into the zoo with a cat or dog to feed the lions.

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