Today’s Motto: ‘Accept your Past without Regret, Face Your Present with Confidence and Future without Fear’.

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

On this day, 12 Nov ….

1732 – Ftrench engineer/inventor  Henri Pitot  invented an instrument to measure the flow velocity at different depths of water in the River Seine. The belief of the time was that flow velocity at a given depth was proportional to the mass above it, meaning increasing velocity at greater depth. Recording the difference, he showed the opposite was true. (Today, the Pitot tube has an important application in aerodynamics fo r the measurement of the airspeed of aircraft (pic credit-greatlakesskipper.com).

1781 – Nagapatnam of South India was captured by the British troops.

1847 – Sir James Young Simpson, of Britain, the father of modern anaesthetics, employed chloroform for the first time as an anaesthetic in an operation. He was not the first to use chloroform but it was his persistent advocacy which led to its acceptance. Later, as Queen Victoria was to give birth to Prince Leopold (1853), she accepted chloroform for help. There was a great controversy about the morality of whether women should use such anaesthetics in childbirth. Victoria’s leadership broke people free from superstition and fear (pic credit-wikipedia.com).

1894 – Lawrence Hargrave, the Australian engineer/ inventor of the box kite, linked four huge box kites together, added a sling seat, and flew – attached to the ground by piano wire. Due to their innate abilities to carry heavy payloads, steady flight, and capacity for high altitude flight these kites have had many industrial and military uses in the past. Box kites were used until the 1930’s to carry meteorological equipment for high altitude weather studies and by the Royal Air Force as sea rescue equipment to deliver radio aerials. Hargrave also made important studies of wing surfaces and worked with rotary engines and gliders (pic credit-wikipedia.com).

1926 – The first recorded airplane bombing took place in Williamson County, Illinois, during a feud between rival beer and liquor factions, the Sheltons and the Birgers.

1929 – Commander Richard E. Byrd, American aviator, polar explorer  made the first flight over the South Pole (pic credit-westarctica.wiki). 

1936 – Temples of Kerala were opened for all Hindus, including lower castes.

1969 – Indira Gandhi,  was expelled from Congress for indiscipline during President elections, favouring Independent VV Giri against  N Sanjiva Reddy, the Congress candidate. She was expelled by Party chief Nijalingappa.  She  split and formed her own Congress Party with Jagjivan Ram as President. The party was recognised as Congress (I), where ‘I’ stands for Indira.  Other faction of Congress Party comprising of Old party leaders was branded as Syndicate or Congress (O). With defeat of  Indira Gandhi in 1977,  Congress (I) was merged back into main party (pic credit-deccanherald.com).

1984 – Rajiv Gandhi elected Congress (I) President, after he was appointed the Prime Minister following assasination of Indira Gandhi on Oct. 31, 1984.

1990 – Uttar Pradesh Government raises the reservation for Backward Classes in direct recruitment to State Services from 15 to 27 per cent.

2009 – The ‘Incredible India’ campaign of the Central Government to promote tourism in India was awarded the World Travel Award.

Born…. 1896 – Salim (Moizuddin Abdul) Ali, Indian ornithologist, the Birdman of India, who championed conservation of India’s biological diversity.  He conducted systematic survey of Birds in India, Migratory Birds, their arrival and departure   schedules. He write several books on Ornitholgy, a bird is named after him-Zoothera Salimali (The Himalayan  Forest Thrust). He helped establish Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary and save Silent Valley National Park in Kerala. He was awarded Padma Vibhushan in 1976.

1940 – Amjad Khan alias Gabbar Singh (named after his  iconic role in Sholay-1975),  was a Bollywood film actor, son of veteran character  actor Jayant. He acted in about 132 films debuting with  film Nazneen as a child actor in 1951 and followed up with  Ab Dilli Door Nahin, Hindustan Ki Kassam and blockbuster Sholay, Shatranj Ke Khiladi (by Satyajit Ray on story  by legendary novelist  Munshi Premchand -1977),  Nastik, Des Pardes, Satte Pe Satta, Chambal Ki Kassam, Ganga Ki Saugandh, Ham Kissi Sev Kam Nahin, Naseeb, Yarana, Laavaris, Qurbani, Love Story, Chameli Ki Shaadi etc. He won 4 Filmfare awards and 4 nominations apart from other film accolades and rankings.

RIP…. 1946 – Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, an Indian educationist and politician; notable for his role in the Indian independence movement and as the two time President of Indian National Congress. He was co-founder of Benaras Hindu University in 1916,  Akhil Bhartiya Hindu Mahasabha, founded English daily  The Leader and  edited Hindustan newspaper in Karanataka 1887 and later helped revive The Hidustan Times alongwith industrialist  GD Birla. He was Chairman of Trust from 1924 – 1946. He was also a delegate to Round Table Conference held in London  in 1931, was elected Congress Prersident  but  resigned from the party due to differences with Gandhiji, Nehru and others for supporting Poona Pact, which was also called Communal Award. Malviya ji was honoured with Bharat Ratna in Dec. 2014.

1959 – Keshavrao Marutirao Jedhe,  great leader of Harijans and farmers in maharashtra. He was a freedom fighter and a wealthy Maratha  politician from Pune. He served as a leading figure in the Congress Party,  the Samyukta Maharashtra movement and later Jyotirao Phule movement for  helping under-previllaged sections and  Satyashodhak Samaj. He was close to Dr. BR Ambedkar, Bhaurao Patil, Khanderao and Madhavrao Bagal and led movement against Brahmin dominance, even in Ganapthi Puja samities (pic credit-madhushreepublication.com).

Titbits…. 1910- 1st Movie stunt: man jumps into Hudson river from a burning balloon.

You may have known…. India has a total military aircraft fleet strength of approximately 2,229 aircraft. Pakistan has a total military aircraft fleet strength of approximately 1,399 aircraft.                                                                                                                                         {Compiled by Lt. Gen. (R)  Raj Kadyan}

Advertisements