Today’s Motto: ‘In the heaven an angel is no one speecial’

On this day, April 17…..

1492 – Christopher Columbus signed a contract with the Spanish monarchs to find the “Indies” and convert people to Catholicism, a journey that would change the course of history.

1675 – Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj attacked the Fonda fort and won Karwar, a Konkan coastal city of then Bombay Presidency (now in  Karnataka).

1799 – Srirangapatnam was surrounded by British Army in the fourth and last Mysore war which began in 1798. Tipu Sultan was killed in the battle on 4th May. The East India Company announced the Sringapatanam Medal (1799).

1810 – The first U.S. patent for pineapple cheese was issued -to L.M. Norton of Troy, Pennsylvania.

1875 – Modern Snooker invented by Sir Neville Chamberlain in Jabalpur.

1930 – The discovery of a new rubber-like compound (synthetic rubber) was recorded by Dr. Arnold M. Collins in his laboratory notebook.

1952 – First Lok Sabha was formed in India after completion of First Elections according to the Constitution of India adopted on January 26, 1950.

1961 – 1,400 Cuban exiles land in Bay of Pigs in a doomed attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro.

1964 – Geraldine Mock became first woman to complete a solo airplane flight around the world.

1977 – Swatantra Party was merged by its co-founder Piloo Mody  in Janata Party. Piloo Mody was  an architect turned politician, known for his humour and  liberal politics (pic credit-architecturelive.com).. 

1983 – India entered space age, launching  PSLV-3 rocket.

1990 – Gas explosion on passenger train in Kumrahar (India), 80 die.

1999 – The Vajpayee Government resigns after it loses the confidence vote in the Lok Sabha by one vote – 269 to 270.  Vote of Confidence was necessitated due to withdrawal of support by the AIDMK  Party in LS  decided by  TN Chief Minister &   General Secretary J Jayalalitha.

  Then Orissa Chief Minister Girdhar Gamang, a Congress MP  cast the crucial Vote to defeat Vajpayee govt. (putting ethics out of the window).                                                                              2018 – Protests across India at the rape and murder of an 8-year old girl in  Kathua (Jammu & Kashmir State).

Born…. 1912 – Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, was a famous writer who is counted among the foremost writers of Malayalam. Through his writings, Takaji Sivasankara Pillai mainly put the problems of poor people in front of society. In his story collections, he has presented a person struggling with the adverse conditions of his time.

1926 – Chandrashekhar, eighth Prime Minister of  India. Known as Young Turk in Congress Party, he was President of Janata Party  during 1976 to 1981 and India’s PM from Nov. 10, 1990 to June 21, 1991 ,

1977 – Dinesh Mongia, Indian left arm bat and medium pace bowler. Also played for Lancashire (U.K.) and T-20 there. .
1990 – Beno Zephine, India’s first completely blind IFS officer. She is from Tamil Nadu.

RIP….  1790 – Benjamin Franklin, American printer and publisher, author, inventor and scientist, and diplomat. He invented a type of stove, still being manufactured, to give more 

warmth than open fireplaces and the lightning rod. He used bifocal eyeglasses; also were his ideas.

You may have known….

The wood frog can hold its bladder for up to eight months.

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