Today’s Motto: ‘Every champion was once a loser, who refused to give up’

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

On this day,  Aug. 18……….

1891 – The first rainmaking experiments in the U.S. by setting off explosive balloons and artillery to try to make rainclouds develop. But there were no results. The method chosen was to test a theory that rainstorms seemed often to occur where major battles had taken place during the Civil War, and they may have been because of the effect of smoke, dust and disturbances in the air from artillery.

1932 – The Scottish aviator Jim Mollison made the first westbound transatlantic solo flight (pic credit-CBC).

1951 – IIT Kharagpur Inaugurated.

1960 – The first oral contraceptive Enovid was marketed by the Searle Drug Company in America. (Birth control and abortion are well documented in Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt. The use of honey, acacia leaves and lint to be placed in the vagina to block sperm. Plants with contraceptive properties were used in Ancient Greece from the 7th century BCE onwards).

1926 – Weather map televised for 1st time.

1990 – President R Venkataraman presented the colours to the Officers Training Academy in recognition of their services to the Nation.

2014 A meeting between the foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan was cancelled following a Pakistani official’s meeting with Kashmiri separatists.

2023 – English neonatal nurse Lucy Letby found guilty of the murder of seven babies and attempted murder of six more, between June 2015 and June 2016, at  a Manchester court.

Born….

1900 – Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, diplomat and politician, sister of former PM Jawaharlal Nehru.

1936 – Gulzar, sceenwriter, veteran poet, Urdu Shayar, scrptwriter and director. Known for films  Maachis, Angoor, Aandhi, Mausam, Khushbu, Libaas, Koshish, Mere Apne, Jai Ho, Slumdog Millionaire  etc. He was honoured with Dada Saheb Phalke award in 2013. Has won  6 National Film and  22 Filmfare awards, One Oscar and Indira Gandhi National Integration award  and Padma Bhushan (video  credit-Eros Now  Music)

1956 – Sandeep Madhusudan Patil,  prolific Indian batsman, Kenya team coach. Was member of 1983 World Cup winning team.

1967 – Daler Mehndi,  popular Punjabi Bhangra/pop singer (pic credit-Koimoi).

RIP….

1227 – Genghis Khan, Monghol oppresser who killed lacs of humans in Asia/India.

1998 – Persis Khambatta, Indian model, actress, author.( She won the Femina Miss India contest in 1965. She was the second winner of Femina Miss India and third Indian woman to participate in the Miss Universe pageant. At the Femina Miss India contest, she also won the Miss Photogenic award).

1998 – Protima Bedi, popular model Kathak dancer and actor. Established Nityagram a tourist resort Kuteeram (pic credit-m.Rediff.com).

You may have known….

Immersing  self in barrels of water – Varuna Yajna: The rains bring forth new life. And when it turns its back on us, many turn to the Rain God. Varun is the Hindu God of water. The Varuna Yajna has been performed across Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to appease him into bestowing rains upon his people. The yajna is performed by temple priests immersing themselves in barrels of water and incanting Lord Varun’s name one lakh times (pic credit-Pinterest).

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