Today’s Motto: ‘Death ends a life, not a relationship’

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

On this day, 23 Jun….

930 – World’s oldest recorded  Parliament, the Icelandic Parliament, was established.

1775 – The first American-made book was advertised in Philadelphia. Titled Impenetrable Secret, the book was printed and sold by Story and Humphreys. Sadly, no copy of the book has survived.

1757 – The Battle of Plassey begins between the British Army and Siraj ud-Daulah who took control of the British occupation of Bengal.

1784 – In Baltimore, America’s first balloonist, was a teenager, 13-year-old Edward Warren, who soloed in a 35-foot diameter hot-air balloon held in place from the ground with a tether.

1866 – Christopher Lathem Shoules, applied for patent for QWERTY  trypwriter keyboard alongwith Samuel W Soule and Carlos Glidden. earlier John Prett had also tried to assemble a typewriter keyboard (pic credit-mujeresconcencia.com).

1894 – The International Olympic Committee is founded at the Sorbonne, Paris, at the initiative of Baron Pierre de Coubertin after about 1500 years  of the ancient  Olympic Games  organised  by the  Romans   from 320 BC to  about first Century  CE . First   Olympic Games  (Summer) were held in  Athens  from April  6 to 15,  1896.  Just 176  athletes from 13 countries  competed in 10  disciplines and in 43 events.  American James B.  Connolly was the first jumper athlete to win the first  Gold (and  a Silver, Bronze each)

1927 – All India Radio broadcasting service started  from a private transmitting station in Bombay and Calcutta under the name Bombay Presidency Radio Club  (exactly  on July  23, 1927)  taken over by the British Govt. in 1932 and renamed  AIR  and  Akashwani  by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore in 1936.

1930 – The Simon Commission recommends a Federal structure for  India and announced separation of Burma (now Myanmar).

1946 – In South Africa, a group of white men attack and assault Indian Passive Resisters.

1961 – The Antarctic Treaty, ensuring that Antarctica is used for peaceful purposes; for international cooperation in scientific research; and does not become the scene or object of international discord, comes into force.

1985 – Bomb destroys Air India Boeing 747 ‘Kanishka’ in air near Ireland, 329 die. India’s top Space scientist Vikram Sarabhai died in the air crash, which was believed to have been done by Canadian Sikhs to avenge Operation Blue Star by Indira Gandhi govt. in 1984 (pic credit-youtube.com). 

1992 – “Teen Bigha Day” protest in India  against  a corridor opening to Bangladesh.

2014 – Gujarat’s ‘Rani Ki Vav’   (the  Queen’s stepwell)  and Himachal’s ‘Great Himalayan National Park’  (at Banjar, Kullu)  were included in the World Heritage List (pic credit ar.inspiredpencil.com and greenstories.co.in).   

2018 – Indian chess prodigy Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa becomes the second-youngest grandmaster at 12 years, 10 months, 13 days. At present he is placed No.  2  in World Chess Rankings 2023.  (pic credit-starsunfolded.com).

Born…. 1921 – Rehman, (Syed Rehman Khan)  veteran  film actor of  late 1940s to the late 1970s. He was an integral part of the legendary  actor/director and producer  Guru Dutt team.  Rehman acted in Chand  (1946),  Shahjehan, Ham Ek Hain,  Pyar Ki Jeet, Badi Behn, Pardes, Pyaasa,  Chhoti Beh, Chaudhvin Ka Chand, Sahen Biqwi aur Ghulam, Dil Ne Phir Yaad Kiya.  Waqt and Gomti Ke Kinare  etc.  He was nominated for Filmfare award 4 times but missed each time.

1952 – Raj Babbar,  popular  Bollywood  film actor.  statrted as a theatre artist, acted  in successful Hindi and Punjabi  films like Insaf Ka Tarazu, Chann  Pardesi, Long Da Lashkara, Aasra Pyaar Da, Shaheed Udham Singh, Teri Meri Ki Zindagi,  Ziddi, Aankhen,  Barassat, Saazish, Dallal etc. He also played the role of King Bharat in BR Chopra epic Mahabharat,  Bahadur Shah Zafar, Pukaar etc. He represented Janata Dal under VP Singh in Rajya Sabha and later Lok Sabha 2 times on Congress ticket.  He married Smita Patil and Nadira Babbar, after her death. He was nominated to Filmfare 4 times  (pic credit-india.com)

RIP….1953 – Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, great social reformer, freedom fighter,  politician and national leader (represented  Calcutta SE and Bhowanipore), founder of Jan Sangh Party. He resigned the first  Jawaharlal Nehru’s  Union  ministry   in 1950 in pretesting against Nehru-Liaqat Pact  and later founded  RSS, Jan Sangh (now called Bhartuya Janata Party). He was arrested in June 1953 in  Srinagar during protest and died in Jail (Jan Sangh leaders blame the Shekh Abdullah govt. of  getting him poisoned in jail.

1975 – General Prannath Thapar, 5th Army Chief from May 07, 1961 and  Chief during Chinese attack over India in 1962;  it’s alleged the  PM Nehru and Dfence Minister Menon  refused to use our Air Forces in the war and suffrered much humiliating defeat at the hands of China, also losing large parts of land in Aksai China, Ladakh.

1980 – Varahagiri Venkata Giri, Fourth President of India. He was elected as  an unofficial candidate defeating Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy, the official candidate due to the “Call for Conscience ” by then PM Indira Gandhi  to support Giri. He had 14 children and was also conferred with Bharat Ratna in 1975.

1980 – Sanjay Gandhi,  very aggressive  nationalist  politician and General Secretary AICC (I). The younger son of  PM Indira Gandhi and brother of Rajiv Gandhi. He was an aviation enthusiast and  died during air-maneuvres  over Buddha Park in Delhi. He was also population control activist and enforced  ‘Nasalbandi’ on youth, especially on  Muslims of Old Delhi area.  his wife Maneka Gandhi  and son  Varun have  been with the BJP since Maneka was forced to quit PM House after Sanjay death.

You may have known…. Chess was invented in India  and was called Chausar during Mahabharat era.  In history  Yuvraj Yuddhishtra was defeated in  Chausar Games, his  kingdom of Indraprastha,  his brothers and wife  Panchali-Darupadi , allegedly by deceit  by Shakuni  playing for  cousin Duryodhana.  

Even today, Indian Chess players like Grandmasters  Viswanathan Anand,  young  Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa are  top pactitioners of the Chess Game, globally.                                                                                                                                                                       {Compiled by Lt. Gen. (R)  Raj Kadyan}