Today’s Motto: ‘Ideas are not responsible for what we do with them’

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

On this day, 04 Jul….

1776 – US Congress proclaims the Declaration of Independence  from Britain.(1st Independence Day  celebration was held in 1796).  About 60 feet  tall statues of 4 US  Presidents were later  curated by  sculpture artists  Gutzon Borglum and his team,  on Mount  Rushmore in Dakota beteween 1927-41, called  Shrine of Democracy.

1789 – British East India Company signed a treaty with the Nizam of Hydrabad and Peshwa of Pune against Tipu Sultan, ruler of Mysore, with the understanding that a cavalry of 10,000 would attack Tipu’s territory and the conquered area would be divided amongst the three. Later he negotiated withy the British and regained his kingdom in  1784 but was eventually  killed in 1799 during  a war against  the British.

1802 – US Military Academy officially opens (West Point, NY).

1828 – The first U.S. hotel to instal bathrooms was the Tremont House, Boston, for which the cornerstone was laid today.

1884 – Statue of Liberty presented to US in Paris. 

1894 – Elwood Haynes successfully tested his one-horsepower, one-cylinder vehicle at 6 or 7 mph at Kokomo, Indiana. He was an American pioneer whose vehicle was one of the first automobiles built. Now on exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., Hayne’s vehicle is the oldest American-made automobile in existence (pic credit-bsac.co).

1920 – Duco, which revolutionised car finishing, was accicentally discovered. Thus ended the reign of black as the only practical, durable colour available for cars, iconic on the model-T Fords. Within two more years, all General Motors cars were offered in a choice of colours.

1999 – Over 500 children of Kargil migrants take out a procession to Batalik in a show of solidarity with the Indian Army (pic credit-jkpost.in).

2002 – An elephant’s two tusks were fitted with stainless steel dental caps 19-in long by 5-in diameter, the world’s record largest dental caps on the tuskers.

2019 – Egypt claims 3,000-year-old Tutankhamun bust is stolen as it sells for $6 million at auction at Christies.

2021 – Researchers reveal there are 14 living descendants of Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. He was an Italian mathematician, architect and sculptor (April 15, 1452-May 02, 1519).

Born…. 1790 – Welsh military engineer George Everest,  a  geodesist who worked on the trigonometrical survey of India providing the accurate mapping of the subcontinent. (Mount Everest, formerly called Peak XV, was renamed in his honour in 1865).

1898 – Gulzarilal Nanda, an Indian politician and economist. He was the only person ever to have served as the caretaker Prime Ministerof India (twice). Nanda was first made the PM in 1964 after the death of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. He became the PM again  in  Jan. 1966 after the death of 2nd  PM  Lal Bahadur Shastri for the second time, 13 days each time. An Arya Smaj  devoit, he  lived a very simple low profile life and had no house or car in his life time.. 

RIP…. 1902 – Swami Vivekananda, (Narendra Vishwanath Dutta), Indian Hindu spiritual leader and a key figure in the introduction of Yoga to the Western world. (Dies while meditating, at 39). A great spiritual leader and  disciple of  Swami Ramakrishna Patramhans  and a key figure in the introduction of Vedanta and  Yoga to the Western world. He taught Yoga, Hindu scriptures, Sanatan way of Life.  He addressed the Parliament of  World Religions  in Chicago, America in Sept.  1893  when he addressed the gathering as ….Brothers and Sisters of America and mesmerized the audience with his spiritual oratory, knowledge and  fellowship.   He founded Rakakrishna Mission and wrote over 19 books on varied subjects of spiritual, Vedanta, Yoga and Indian way of Life. He died while meditating, at 39, after  teaching his  disciples for over 3 hours.

1982 – Bharat Vyas, a legendary lyricist who wrote the songs for Hindi films in the 1950s and 1970s. His devotional songs like  ‘Ae  Malik Tere Bande Ham’,….’O Duniya Ke Rakhwale, …’Jote se Jote Jalate chalo..’..’Ye Kaun Chitrakar Hai…’ and many more are evergreen  songs by Bharat Vyas. He wrote about 125  songs for over 70 films.  Bikaner (Rajasthan) born  poet  also directed a film -Rangila Rajasthan  in 1949. His younger brother BM Vyas was also a famous actor.

You may have known…. India  – is the largest English speaking nation in the world.  (English language was  thrust upon Indian population by  (Lord) TB Macaulay, a British educationist, and historian during 1835-59.         

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