Today’s Motto: ‘An apology is the best way to have the last word’

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

On this day, 17 Jun….

1756 – Nawab Sira-ud-Daulah attacked on Calcutta with 50,000 soldiers and captured it on June 21.

1885 – The Statue of Liberty, a gift from France, arrived at the Port of New York.

1917 – Mahatma Gandhi made his residence in the Hriday Kunj of the Sabarmati Ashram.

1932 – Bonus Army: around a thousand World War I veterans amass at the United States Capitol as the U.S. Senate considers a bill that would give them certain benefits.

1936 – Edwin H. Armstrong demonstrated his invention of FM radio in Washington D.C. to a fact-finding investigation conducted by the Federal Communications Commission into the future of radio and television

1950 – The first kidney transplant operation took place in Chicago in a 45-minute operation performed by Dr. Richard H. Lawler and his team (pic credit-stressmarg.com).

1956 – Hindu Succession Act 1956 was passed on this day.   It was  enacted to amend, codify and secularize the law relating to intestate or unwilled succession, among Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, and Sikhs. The Act lays down a uniform and comprehensive system of inheritance and succession into one Act. The Hindu woman’s limited estate is abolished by the Act. By virtue of this Act,  daughters will also have right to  any parental property and later  was  allowed to dispose off  at her will.

1967 – China tested its first hydrogen bomb. This was China’s sixth nuclear test, and its first full scale radiation implosion weapon test. Thus China became world’s 4th thermonuclear power.

1970 – Edwin Land patented the Polaroid camera.

1988 – Microsoft releases MS DOS 4.0.

1991 – The body of Zachary Taylor, 12th President of the USA, is exhumed to test how he died; rumours had persisted since his death in 1850 of arsenic poisoning – no evidence of this was found.

1991 – South Africa abolishes last of its apartheid laws which  had snatched the local Black population from Voting and governance

.     1991- Former  PM  Rajiv Gandhi honoured with Bharat Ratna, posthumously.

2008 – The indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft ‘Tejas’ was successfully test-fired in Bangalore.

Born…. 1973 – Leander Vece Paes, tennis player who opened India’s Olympic medal path by winning a bronze medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Leander Paes’s performance is a milestone in terms of the Olympics.

RIP…. 1631 – Mumtaz Mahal the Queen of the Mughal Empire as the wife of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. She was designated Mumtaz as his chief empress with the title of ‘Malika-i-Jahan’ (“Queen of the World”) and ‘Malika-uz-Zamani’ (“Queen of the Age”). The Taj Mahal in Agra is often cited as one of the World’s Wonders, and it was commissioned by Shah Jahan to be built as a mausoleum for Mumtaz Mahal.

1674 – Jijabai Shahaji Bhosale, was the wife of Shahaji Bhonsle and the mother of Chhatrapati Shivaji. She was known as ‘Rajmata Jijabai’ and simply ‘Jijai’. Though neglected by her husband Shahaji Bhonsle, she continued to be the guardian of her son Shivaji and contributed the most in building his character, ambitions, and ideals. Jijabai had the greatest influence in determining the direction of Shivaji’s life.

1858 – Rani Lakshmibai, the queen of the Maratha-ruled Jhansi state and a heroine of the First Indian War of Independence of 1857. Maharani Laxmibai was among the warriors who sacrificed their lives in the battle against the British. In 1857, she initiated the freedom struggle of India. With her bravery, s he had soured the teeth of the British.

1965 – Motilal Rajvansh was a veteran  Indian actor and the winner of Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for Devdas and Parakh. He is credited with being among Hindi cinema’s first natural actorsfamous film actor. He acted in over 60 films including Chhoti Chhoti Baatene, Jaagte Raho, Anari, Paigham, Mr Sampat, Leader, etc. He also won a Certificate for Best Story QWriter.

1996 – Balasahab Devras, 3rd Sarsangha Chalak of Rashtriya Sawyamsewak Sangh. He led the RSS from 1974-1994.

You may have known…. The art of navigation was born in the river Sindh 5000 years ago. The very word “Navigation” is derived from the Sanskrit word NAVGATIH.

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