Today’s Motto: ‘Real conviction is not acknowledged by lips, but by the heart’

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

On this day, 29 May….

1885 – Manual production of shoes shifted to machine by Jan Matzeliger .

1886 – The pharmacist John Pemberton places his first advertisement for Coca-Cola, which appeared in The Atlanta Journal.

1898 – The heirs of Alfred Nobel sign a “reconciliation agreement” so that lawyers and accountants can execute his will. The will’s major bequest was to create the Nobel Prizes, but first, there were disputes to be settled.

1919 – A solar eclipse permitted observation of the bending of starlight passing through the sun’s gravitational field, as predicted by Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity. It was a dramatic landmark scientific event.  The largest Solar eclipse happened in 1991 and  another one is going to occue between 2026-28 likely to be 6 minutes long.

1932 – World War I veterans begin to assemble in Washington, in the Bonus Army to request cash bonuses promised to them to be paid in 1945.

1953 – Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay become the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest at  (29,032 ft. height), on Tenzing Norgay’s (adopted) 39th birthday.  Hillary was an  Auckland (New Zeraland) mountaineer and Sherpa Tenzing was a Tibetan/Nepali  porter helping  explorers  climb the mountains.  Hillary was awarded with  Knoghthood by the Queen Elizabeth-II of England.  Sherp was a Tibetan/Nepali  porter helping mountaineers in the expeditions. He was awarded the Gold Medal by the British,  Order of the Star of Nepal and Padma Bhushan by Govt. of India.  Hillary also served as New Zealand High Commissioner in India/Nepal between 1985-88.

1965 – Indian Everest team sets a world record by climbing the Everest for the fourth time.

1968 – Dara Singh becomes the World Wrestling Champion.  As a Freestyle Wrestling champion he defeated many renowned  wrestlers like King King,  Tiger Joginder Simgh, Rustam-e- Hind. He was also an actor, producer and directed, as well as TV  epic Ramayana’s  Hanuman. His  Punjabi films  Nanak Dukhiya Sab Sansar,  Sawa Lakh se Ek Ladayun  and  Sikandare-Azam,  Rustam, Sangdil, Jab We Met and more were popular and high revenue grossers. . He won many film awards and was nominated to Rajya Sabha by BJP govt. in 1998 and  2003. He set-up Dara Studio in Mohali City, Punjab in 1978.

1975 – Saigon, the Capital City of Viet Nam is  renamed Ho Chi Minh City.

1988 – Pakistan President Zia ul-Haq dismisses government and disbands Parliament and became the  Marshal Law  ruler of Pakistan.

1982 – Naval Academy at Ezhimala, Kerala, was approved by Union Cabinet.  It trains Indian Coast Guards for Ocean services and survillance.

2015 – Heat wave in India centered in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states is reported to have killed 1,800 people in a week.  Again in 2024   extreme heatwave in northern and central India with unconfirmed record temperature readings  from 49 degrees C  to  52.3 C.

Born…. 1903 – Bob Hope, English-American actor, singer, and producer.

1954 – Pankaj Kapur, an actor known for his works in theatre, television, and Hindi cinema. His performances have been appreciated in various critically acclaimed films. He is a recipient of a Filmfare Award and three National Film Awards, his most acclaimed film roles include that of Inspector P.K. in Raakh, Dr. Dipankar Roy in Ek Doctor Ki Maut and Abba ji in Maqbool, the latter based on Shakespeare’s King Duncan in Vishal Bhardwaj’s adaptation of Macbeth. He acted in popular TV serial Office Office and more. He married the  film actress  Supriya Pathak and his son Shahid Kapoor is also an established film actor on Jab We Met fame.

RIP…. 1972 – Prithviraj Kapoor, born in  Samindari, Peshawar  (now in Pakistan)  was an Indian  theatre, cinema veteran   actor, director and producer. Started Prithvi Theatres in Mumbai after migrating from Pakistan and  acted in  Shere Arab, Cinema Girl,  Harishchandra Taramati, Sikandr-e Azam, Alam Ara, Vidyapati, Nanak Naam Jahaaz Hai, Nanak Dukhiya Sab Sansar,  Mele Mitran De, Awara, Kal Aaz Aur Kal, Mughl-e Azam, Mera Naam Joker etc.  He also acted in a Kannada Film. His sons Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor, Shashi  Kapoor and grandchidren  Randhir, Rishi, Rajiv, Kareena, Karishma etc. were all famous film personalities. He was awarded  Filmfare special,  Padma Bhushan, Sangeet Natak Akademi and Dadasaheb Phalke  awards.

1987 – Chaudhary Charan Singh, the fifth Prime Minister of India. He was considered a strong  Jat  leader who raised the voice of the farmers. His tenure as Prime Minister was a short one,  from 28 July 1979 to 14 January 1980. He was also Deputy Prime Minister and  the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh twice.

You may have known…. India is one of the world’s largest importer of arms, for its def ence from belligerant neighbours  viz., Pakistan, China (and now Bangladesh). But India has never invaded or attacked any  country.

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