Today’s Motto: ‘Having a reason for living is as important as life’
As Every Day makes a new beginning in life, it brings new opportunities, opens new avenues to perform, make a mark, and to write a Page in the History Books!
This is Your Day-TODAY: Take a Determined Step Forward and Make History !
On this day, 28 Oct….
1538 – The first university in the New World, the Universidad Santo Tomás de Aquino, is establi
shed. Founded in Santo Domingo, on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, present-day Dominican Republic, it was the first institution of higher education in the Western Hemisphere. It ceased to operate in 1823 (pic credit-pinterest.es).
1636 – Harvard University (Cambridge, Massachusetts) founded. (Harvard is the oldest institution of higher education in the US, established by vote of the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It was named after the College’s first benefactor, the young minister John Harvard of Charlestown, who upon his death in 1638 left his library and half his estate to the institution. A statue of 
John Harvard stands today in front of University Hall in Harvard Yard, and is perhaps the University’s best-known landmark. Its alumni include Barack Obama, JFK, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates among others (pic credit-flicker.com).
1851 – The British Indian Association was established in Bengal.
1886 – The monument of Liberty Enlightening the World, popularly called the Statue o
f Liberty, was unveiled on the New York Harbour. It was dedicated by confetti (the first ticker tape parade) in the New York Harbour by President Cleveland in the presence of its sculptor, Frederic Auguste Bartholdi. It was a gift from the people of France to commemorate the 100th anniversary of American independence. The statue was assembled on Liberty Island (formerly Bedloe Island), 151-ft tall on a 155-ft high granite pedestal. Its copper skin is supported by a massive internal iron pylon and secondary skeletal framework.
1947 – Sheikh Mohammad Abdulla invited to form an interim government in J&K. Grandfather
of present state CM Omar Abdulla, he was closer to Pt. Nehru and wanted J&K to merge with India. Though later when removed from CM’s post, he started making overtures towards Pakistan. He was imprisoned between 1953 – 1964 and1971-74, though he regained the post in 1975, until his death in 1982.
1962 – US pledges to rush arms to India to fight the Chinese aggression.
1996 – Press Council of India (PCI) is set up to oversee the issue related to Press Freedom and other related laws in India. The Council has a Chairman, nominated by a Committee comprising of Chairman of Rajya Sabha, Speaker of Lok Sabha and a Member of the PCI. It 
has 28 members; thirteen members, six of whom are editors of publications and five correspondents, one from news agencies and two from education, legal, cultural, literature etc. PCI has three year term of office.
Born…. 1867 – Sister Nivedita, considered to be one of the prolific speakers for the establishment of the Indian National Congress in 1885 and the promotion of new ideas of national consciousness, unity, renaissance, and national independence, which culminated in India’s independence in 1947. She became his disciple, came to Calcutta in 1898 in search of Truth and joined Swami Vivekananda in Ramakrishna Mission. She 
travelled to Srinagar, Amarnath, Nainital Varanasi and many places in the South. She was at Belur Math when Swami Vivekananda died and saw his cremation on pyre. She started Hindu Schools for Girls, supported Women’s rights, served patients during Bengal Plague in 1899. She also worked with Annie Basant and Aurobindo Ghosh supported them on Freedom movement of India.
1930 – Anjaan, (Lalji Pandey), popular Bollywood lyricist. He write about 1500 songs for 300 films. he wrote
popular songs for Godaan, Don, Laavaris,etc. His son Sameer Anjaan is also a lyricist. (video credit-Goldmine Gaane Sune Unsune),
1955 – Indra (Krishnamurthy) Nooyi, an Indian-born American business executive and former DCEO of StanChart Bank. She has been consistently ranked among the world’s 100 most powerful women. Former Head of World Bank. Was Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo. between 2006-2018. She is now Director on Board of ICC, Amazon etc. 
1955 – William Henry “Bill” Gates III is an American businessman who dropped out of Harvard University, yet co-founded Microsoft, a computer software company whose business practices were at times ruled to be anti-competitive in several court battles.
RIP…. 1627 – Jahangir, Mughal emperor, weak from asthma and no food, died at Bhimghar near Kashmir. He was buried at Shahdara (Lahore) on the banks of the Ravi. During his last days, he remained in the custody of Aurangzeb. (Some record his death on 7 Nov 1627).
1997 – Dr. V. Doreswamy Iyengar, Veena maestro, household name among Carnatic mu
sic lovers. He was honored with Sangeetha Kalanidhi and Padam Bhushan awards. (pic credit-Last.fm)
1998 – Ghulam Ahmed, former Indian cricket captain. He was a high class off-spinn
er and represented India for a decade and with Vinoo Mankad and Subash Gupte, formed a deadly spin trio. He played 22 Tests (68 wkt) and 98 First Class matches (407 wkt)/ He was Secretary of BCCI for several years. He was uncle of Pakistani cricketer Asif Iqbal and great uncle of Indian tennis player Sania Mirza.
You may have known….Ancient scholars had some wild ideas about what happened to birds in the winter. The Greek philosopher Aristotle, who was among the first to scientifically study bird migration, came up with a few theories, including one that seems especially wacky today: He suggested that some birds transformed 
into entirely different bird species with the season. {Compiled by Lt. Gen. (R) Raj Kadyan}
