Today’s Motto: ‘Future is lost without knowledge of the past’
As Every Day makes a new beginning in life, it brings new opportunities, opens new avenues, to perform and make a mark, to write a Page in History Books!
This is Your Day-TODAY: Take a Determined Step Forward and Make History !
On this day, 31 Jan….
1893 – The trademark “Coca-Cola” was first registered in the United States Patent Office.
1915 – 1st German poison gas attack, against Russians.
1928 – Scotch tape 1st marketed by 3-M Company. (Scotch tape was invented by a college dropout named Richard Drew).
1945 – Private Eddie Slovik became the only U.S. soldier since the Utr.S. Civil War to be executed for desertion.
1948 – Following the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi on January 30, widespread riots occurred acro
ss various Indian cities. 1960 – Milkha Singh at Lahore sets record for 200m at 20.7s. Known as ‘the Flying Sikh’, he was India’s ace track and field sprinter, an army officer, who won Gold medals at 1958, 1962 Asian Games and 1958 Commonwealth Games in 400 m race. He missed a medal at 1960 Rome Olympics and stood 4th by just 1\100th of a second in 400m. He was awarded Padma Shri, Helms world Trophy for asia in 1959 and Bharat Gaurav award in 2016.
1963 – Pea
cock declared as National Bird of India.
1985 – Under the 52nd Constitutional Amendment, Anti-Defector Bill was passed unanimously in Lok Sabha. This avoided the Representatives of People (MPs & MLAs), to switch over political parties. It allowed defection when two-thirds of the legislators of a political Party in Assembly or Parliament decide to leave an merge with another Party. Speakeer, Dy. Speaker of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Chairman are exempted from this law.
1985 – The final Jeep rolled off the assembly line at the AMC plant in 
Ohio. (Willys MB Jeeps went into production in 1941 specifically for the military, arguably making them the oldest four-wheel drive mass-production vehicles now known as SUVs).1992 – The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) was given statutory powers.
1996 – Asia’s first sports university was inaugurated in Pune.
1997 – INS Vi
krant, Indian Navy’s first aircraft carrier, de-commissioned.
2019 – Leaked Indian government reports says unemployment rate at 6.1% highest since 1972-73, up from 2.2% in 2011-12.
2024 – Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and social media companies Discord, TikTok, X and Snap reprimanded before a US congressional hearing for not doing enough to protect children online.
Born….1896-D R Bendre (Dattatreya Ramachandra). Legendary Kannada Poet, writer and freedom fighter. Born in Dharwad, Karnataka, he was conteporary of Tagore, William Keats and 
others. He was appointed President of Kannada Sahitya Sammelana in 1943, and was awarded Sahitya Akademy in 1958, Kelkar award, Padma Shri and Jnanpeeth award in 1973.
1923 – Major Som Nath Sharma, was the first recipient of the Param Vir Chakra, the highest Indian gallantry award. He was awarded the medal posthumously for his bravery in the Kashmir operations in November 1947.
1975 – Preity Zinta, model, Bollywood’s romantic actress, entrepreneur, sports and IPL promotor. She started her film career with Dil Se and Soldier in 1998, and appeared as heroine in Sangharsh, Kya Kehna, Kal Ho Na Ho, Koi Mil Gaya, Mission Kashmir, Veer Zara, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, Lakshya etc. She has won 2 Filmfare, Zee Cine, StarDust and Smita Patil Memorial award, apart from IIFA, Chicago Cine and several others. She’s also the co-promotors of Punjab Superkings in IPL franchise (video credit-Z music co).
RIP…. 1969 – Saint Meherbaba. A saint, teacher and spiritual Guru with following among Sindhi, Marathi and 
Gujarati devotees. Believed to have gotten God-realisation in 1925 and then started preeching poor and suffering masses in silence with gestures and his thought-books. 1994 – Milind Desai, 12, the youngest editor in Gujarati journalism.
2000 – KN Singh, an erstwhile Prince of Uttrakhand, national javelin-throw winner, lawyer and Bollywood actor, who stated his career with film Sunehra Sansar in 1936 and went on to act in over 200 films mostly as a Police inspector, or villain. Films like Sikandar, Bidyapati, Mukti, Jwar Bhata, Humayun, Aan, A
wara, Jaal, CID, Howrah Bridge, Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi, Amrapali, An Evening In Paris gave him superfame and awards aplenty.
2009 – Nagesh, most celebrated South Indian comedy actor of Kollywood (TN). A versatile actor who excelled in humour, supportive and villainery, and a writer. He acted in about 1,000 films in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and Malyalam films. He was awarded Kalanamai award, National Film Award for Best Support role, Filmfare Lifetime Achievement and Tamil Nadu St
ate Films Special award.
You may have known…. India was one of the richest countries till the time of British rule in the early 17th Century and called Sone ki Chidiya. Christopher Columbus, attracted by India’s 
wealth, had come looking for a sea route to India when he discovered America by mistake. {Compiled by Lt. Gen. (R) Raj Kadyan}
