Today’s Motto: ‘Laughter is the closest distance between two people’

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

On this day, 31 Aug ….

1751 – English troops under sir Robert Clive occupy Arcot (in India).

1895 – Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin patented in Germany his invention of the rigid airship, known as the Zeppelin. It contained a number of independent hydrogen balloons used for lifting. Two or more seperate engines were suspended below for propulsion.

1900 – Coca-Cola was first sold in Britain in the basement restaurant of Spence’s department store, a silk merchant and general goods store in London. It later went on regular sale through soda fountain outlets. (Coca-Cola was invented on 8 May 1886 by Dr John Styth Pemberton in Jacob’s Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia).

1909 – Nobelist  Paul Ehrlich began the first chemotherapy, a term he coined (pic credit-britannica.com).

1955 – The first solar-powered car was publicly demonstrated.

1968 – Dr. Michael E. DeBakey of Houston led the first simultaneous multi-organ transplant from one donor to four recipients. Two kidneys, one lobe of a lung and the heart were removed from a 20-yr-old women who died from a gunshot. The organs were transplanted into four men at Methodist. The surgery, which began within eight hours of the woman’s death, was performed by five teams totalling more than 60 physicians, nurses and support persons (pic credit-ishaonline.com).

1993 – A skin test for Alzheimer’s disease was announced from research led by Dr Daniel L. Alkon at the National Institutes of Health. (Advances are being made in using skin-based tests for Alzheimer’s detection, but they are in early stages and not yet standard clinical practice).

2019 – India removes citizenship status from 1.9 million people in state of Assam, leaving them off its new National Register of Citizens.

2023 – New computer model study suggests humanity was almost wiped out 900,000 years ago with just 1,280 reproducing individuals remaining.

Born….  1919 – Amrita Pritam, Punjabi  and Hindi poet, novelist and Gyanpeeth award and Sahitya Akademy  Award winner.  She wrote on bloodshed and pains  if India’s Partition  in 1947. He novels Pinjer, Daaku, Kadambri, Kartar Singh were widely popular. She also wrote on women’s rights.

1949 – Richard Gere, US actor  of 1970s to  2016, is  known for his roles in  Looking for Mr Goodbar, Days of Heavan, Ameican Gigolo, No  Mercy  The Cotton Cub,  Pretty Woman,  First  Knight,  I’m  Not There  etc. He won a Golden  Globe  and several  other  film honours.

1963 – Rituparno Ghosh, Bengali film director, actor, writer  and lyricist.  He directed Hirer Angeti, Chokher Bali, Raincoat, Dahan, Bariwali, Utsab, Shubho Mahurat,The Last Lear , Chtrangda etc. He has won 19 National Film awards and several awards and accoldaes.  He was also an open homosexuality icon in cinema industry.

1969 – Javagal Srinath, Indian right-arm pace bowler since 1991. He has taken 200+ Test wickets (2nd to legendary Kapil Dev) and 315 ODI wickets (2nd to Anil Kumle).  He has played 4 ODI World Cups  in 1992, -96, -99 and 2003. He was a National Bowling Coach and selector, ICC Referee. was awarded Arjuna Award and Doctorate by Mysore University.

1984 – Rajkumar Rao, Gurugram born  Bollywood  actor who has done very creative and out of the  box roles in films like Love Sex Ar Dhokha, Gangs of Wassepur, Kai Po Che,  Talash, Queen,

Aligarh, Bareli Ki Barfi, Ludo,Badhai Ho, Stree2,  Monicka, O My Darling, Bhool Chook Maaf etc. He has won 4 Filmfare, 2 Screen, 2 Zee Cine, one National Film award and several other accolades.   RIP…. 1995 – Beant Singh,  12th CM of Punjab (Congress)  from 1992 to 1995. He was assassinated by terrorists for his role in  eradication of  terrorism post operation Blue Star,  alongwith former DGP  KPS Gill.

1997 – Princess Diana (36), spouse of  King  Charles III. She  died in a high-speed car accident in Paris, along with her companion Dodi Fayed and the driver. She had developed differences  with  the then Prince  Charles over her activism and glamour. She has two sons Prince Williams and Harry,  the latter  has  left the  Royal  Palace  and  abdicated  his  rights to Royalty.

You may have known….Modern Indian population is composed of two genetically divergent and heterogeneous populations which mixed in ancient times (about 1,200-3,500 BC), known as Ancestral North Indians (ANI) and Ancestral South Indians (ASI). ASI corresponds to the Dravidian-speaking population of southern India, whereas ANI corresponds to the Indo-Aryan-speaking population of northern India.

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