Today’s Motto: ‘Before looking for the bad in people, do look at the mirror’

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

On this day, 16 Sep….

1812 – Fire broke out in Moscow on the day when Russian trrops and most residents abandoned the city and Napoleon’s vanguard troops entered the city. The cause has never been determined and both neglect as well as Rostopchin’s orders may be among possible reasons. Today, the majority of historians blames the initial fires on Russian sabotage.

1884 – Cocaine was first used as a local anaesthetic to immobilise a patient’s eye for eye surgery by Carl Koller. His success initiated the modern era of local anaesthesia, with cocaine also quickly adopted for nose and throat surgery and for dentistry.

1941 – Adolf Hitler orders that for every dead German, 100 Yugoslavians should be killed.

1954 – The Lok Sabha adopted a clause in the Special Marriage Bill providing for divorce by consent.

1963 – Federation of Malaysia formed by Malaya, Singapore, British North Borneo (Sabah) and Sarawak (map credit-Britannica.com).

1967 – Tibetan, Indian and Chinese troops engage in fighting at Natu La pass on the Tibet-Sikkim border.

1974 – US President Gerald Ford announces conditional amnesty for US Vietnam War deserters.

1987 – Signing of the Montreal Protocol, which is now celebrated as World Ozone Day.

1997 – Apple Computer Inc names co-founder Steve Jobs temporary CEO.  He also co-founded Pixer, NeXT,  iMac, iTunes, iPad, iStore, iPhone etc. He travelled throughout India between 1974-76 to  seek peace and  salvation  thru’ Buddhism.  He  started Think Different camapign to revolutionise  communication.  Steve died on Oct.  05, 2011.

Born….1916 – M.S. Subbulakshmi,  legendary  Carnatic and Indian classic  singer, composer and actor.  She performed in Kannada,  Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi cinema.  Subbalakshmi  performed in UN  General Assembly in 1966.   She sang  bhajans like  Bhaj Giovindam, Vishnu Sehesranam,   Hari Tum Haro.. etc. She was awarded Padma Vibhushan,  Bharat Ratna and Raman Magasaysay  awards (audio credit-YouTube/Filmigo).

1923 – Lee Kuan Yew, Founding father of modern Singapore and 1st Prime Minister of Singapore (1959-90). He was a barrister  studied in Fitzwilliam College Cambridge, established a political outfit  People’s  Action Party  and won good support in 1955, became the first PM in 1959 and a disciplined aurhoritarian rule,  merged Malay islands  with Singapore in 1963  but  due to differences Malayasia expelled Singapore from the  alliance and became a separate nation.  He set up strong  democracy,  rule of strict  laws and values. He is considered to be an ideal leader for  a performing  democracy. He was  made Minister of Mentor after leaving PM post until 2011. 

1945 – P Chidambaram,  Congress politician, former Union  minister for Commerce in  late PM  Rajiv Gandhi Govt.,   and later  as  minister of  Finance, Defence in UPA govt. of Manmohan Singh during 2004-14. He was lok Sabha member from Sivaganga and currently a Rajya Sabhas Member.

1971 – Prasoon Joshi,  famous poet, writer, Advertising  personalityand cinema  scriptwriter. HasbeenChairmanofMcCannEricksonAdvtg.Inc.,Chairman  of  CBFC, the  film  certication  authority. Has been award  Best Film  Lyricist  awards  in  2007,  2008  and  2014 for  Rang De Basanti,  Ghazani, Delhi-6,   Break Ke Baad, aakarshan,  Tare Zamin Par, Bhag Milkha Bhag and Chittagong etc.  Also  honoured  with  Padma Shri.

RIP….  1736 – Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit, inventor of alcohol thermometer (1709) and mercury thermometer (1714) and developed the Fahrenheit temperature  scale.

You may have known…. The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2023 showed that 26.5% of surveyed Indian youth (aged 14-18) could not read a Class 2-level textbook, and over half (56.7%) were unable to perform a simple 3-digit by 1-digit division problem, indicating a serious gap in foundational skills.                                                                  {Compiled by Lt. Gen. (R)  Raj Kadyan}