Today’s Motto: ‘Nothing in the world is ever completely wrong. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day’

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

On this day, 08 Aug ….

1509 – The Emperor Krishnadeva Raya is crowned, marking the beginning of the regeneration of the Vijayanagara Empire in Southern India.

1709 – First known ascent in a hot-air balloon was made in Portugal by Father Bartolomeu de Gusmão – indoors – as a demonstration before the Portuguese court.

1854 – Horace Smith & Daniel Wesson were issued a U.S. patent for their design of a self-contained metal bullet cartridge. The invention related to the arrangement of the tallow within the cartridge between the ball and charge of powder. The rimfire cartridge included percussion-priming. It was improved upon with patent on 17 Apr 1860. However, Smith and Wesson, could not produce a revolver to fire their new bullet until several years later when the Colt patent on the mechanically rotating cylinder design expired in 1857 (pic credit-wikipedia.com).

1899 – Albert T. Marshall of Brockton,  received a U.S. patent for a refrigerator, titled “Automatic Refrigerating Apparatus”.

1911 – Following the end of a heavy monsoon, parts of India were hit by a cholera epidemic.

1929 – The German airship Graf Zeppelin began a planned 21,700-mile round-the-world flight. Lifting off in the dark, at 12:40 am, it headed west leaving Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey (to where it returned 21 days, 7 hrs and 26 mins later). Its passengers, including millionaires, scientists, writers and just one woman, were sent off with the cheers of about 15,000 onlookers. It was expected, within an hour, to circle the Statue of Liberty (pic ccredit-buntwelf.stadiongucker.de)

1936 – Corbett National Park was established. (It is the oldest national park in India and was established as Hailey National Park to protect the endangered Bengal tiger. It is located in Nainital district of Uttarakhand and was named after Jim Corbett who played a key role in its establishment. The park was the first to come under the Project Tiger initiative).

1942 – Mahatma Gandhi launched the Quit India Movement for freedom from British rule in Mumbai.

1946 – India agrees to give Bhutan 32 sq miles. India agreed to return the Dewangiri Hill strips in return for a revision of the essential provisions of the 1910 treaty. Touching Kamrup distt. of Assam, it contains ancient structures and  dilapted ruins. Area is used for grazing of animals by Bhutan. (pic credit-virtuoso.com).

1966 – India endorses the Partial Nuclear Ban Treaty.

1967 – Indian Central government (led by PM Indira Gandhi),  suffered a token defeat in the Lok Sabha, for the first time since independence,

1967 – ASEAN is founded. Initially it  had  10 members namely  Singapore, Brunie, Cambodia,  Malaysia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar,  Phillipines, Thailand  and Vietnam.  Today it has 27 Participants including India, China, EU, USA. Thailand, Pakistan and Bangladesh  (map credit-worldatlas.com)

1974 – US President Nixon announced his resignation due to the Watergate scandal, becoming the first US President to resign while in office.

1984 – India’s ace printer  P.T. Usha at Los Angeles Olymoics,  sets record for 400m H. (Women) in 55.42, yet she  stood 4th and missed the Bronze  medal by just 0.01 sec.

1990 – Violent protes ts rock Bihar against Mandal Commission Report implementation.

1991 – India and Soviet Union extend their treaty of peace, friendship and co-operation for 20 more years.

Born…. 1905 – Major Dhyanchand, one of the greatest  Hockey players of India,  called the  ‘Hockey ka Jadoogar’  for his ball dribbling skills and scoring goals. He participated in 8 Olympics  as  a player or a coach,  wherein India won 7 Gold medals. He scored over 1,000 Goals in his  career from 1928-1949. He scored the winning goals in 1928, 1932, 1936.  He was awarded Padma Bhushan in 1958.  A sports award in his name is started  as Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award. He was offered German citizenship by Adolf Hitler in 1936, but Major Dhyan Chand declined the offer

1932 – Dada Kondke, famous Marathi actor and producer known for Double-meaning dialogues and film names like Andhari Raat Mein Diya Tere Haath Mein,   Tere Mere Beech Mein, Pandu Hawaldar, Andhala Martoy Dola etc. (pic credit-IMDb.com)

1940 – Dilip Sardesai,  was  a Goa born  high scoring Indian Opener  of late 1950’s to 1970s. He scored a double Century against West Indiis in 1971, He had scored his first   Double Century  against New Zealand in Bombay  and  3 Centuries  during  his Test  career. His son Rajdeep  is a famousTV  news anchor and  consulting editor of India Today (pic credit-latestly.com).

1948 – Kapil Sibal, a prominent Indian lawyer and a Congress politician. Sibal has represented several high-profile cases in the Supreme Court. He is a member of the Rajya Sabha. It is generally accepted that he represented Congress and members of civil society in the Supreme Court of India, often holding socially liberal views. He had been President of the Supreme Court Bar association and Union Minister for Law under Manmohan Singh’s premiership  from may 2009 to May 2014.

1994 – Saikhom Mirabai Chanu is an Indian weightlifter. She has won multiple medals at the Commonwealth Games and the World Championships. She won a Silver medal in the women’s 49 kg category at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She is the current world record holder in Clean & Jerk in the 49 kg category. Mirabai  won a Gold medal in recently  finished Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2026.  She has been honoured with Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna and Padma Shri in 2018 (pic credit-ianslive.in). 

RIP…. 1990 – Naval Pirozsha Godrej, famous IIndian ndustrialist.  Grandson of  Godrej group founder Ardeshir Godrej ‘s  brother  Perojsha. He established  Machine Tools, Refrigeration and Typwriter manufacturing units of the Group. He was attacked by union leaders on Jan. 08, 1979 in his factory  but he survived the attack.

You may have known….There are 496 cities in India with a population of over 100,000, of which 46 cities have a population of over 1,000,000. Mumbai is the most populated city followed by Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

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