Today’s Motto: ‘Run away from flattery, but try to deserve it’

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

On this day, 07 Jul….

1456 – A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death. She was a French folk herione who repulsed British attempts to capture French areas. She was later captured by the English and burned to death  on false charges, later withdrawan.                                                                      (pic credit-www.meisterdruke.uk).

1550 – Europe introduced the first chocolate.

1668 – Isaac Newton received his M.A. from Trinity College in Cambridge.

1742 – The Russian mathematician Christian Goldbach dated a letter to Leonhard Euler in which he presented his famous conjecture – “Every even natural number greater than 2 is equal to the sum of two prime numbers.” It has been checked by computer for vast numbers – up to at least 4 x 1014 – but still remains unproved. Goldbach also studied infinite sums, the theory of curves and the theory of equations.

1763 – Britishers declared Mir Jafer as Nawab of Bengal.

1799 – Maharaja Ranjit Singh captured Lahore in Punjab from smaller Sikh rulers (pic credit-travelershorizon.com).

1885 – G. Moore Peters of Xenia, Ohio, patented the cartridge-loading machine.

1928 – Sliced bread sold for the first time by the Chillicothe Baking Company, Missouri.

1948 – Damodar Valley Corporation, first public corporation, was established.

1981 – The first solar-powered aircraft, Solar Challenger, crossed the English Channel.

Born…. 1914 -Anil Biswas. Legendary Bengali and Bollywood  music  director  active during 1935 to  1965. Gave very famous tunes for love songs  forv films like  Roti, Kismat, Anokha Pyar, Tarana, Pardesi, Char Dil Char Rahen, Chhoti Chhoti Baten and TV serial Ham Log.

1937 – Jagdish Prasad Goenka, great industrialist. Co-promotor of  Goenka, Duncon, heading Cotton Export Promotion Council etc.

1981 – Mahinder Singh Dhoni, former Indian wicket-keeper and  captain in all cricket  formats. Also known as Captain Cool, he has set many records in Tests, ODIs and IPL formats. He earlier  captained and  presently playes for Chennai Super Kings. Estimated worth $ 180 million.

RIP….1999 – Captain Vikram Batra, Army officer,  born in Palampur (Himachal Pradesh),  did Bachelor’s degree from Chandigasrh and completed IMA  Commission from Dehradun Military Academy in  Dec. 1997 and combat courses and joined 13 J&K Battalion. After having captured Point 5140, his unit was tasked with capturing Point 4875 by his seniors Maj. SV Bhaskar and Lt. Col. Joshi.  His Delta company had an upper hand and killed 5 Pakistani soldiers operating LMGs,  one of Batra’s colleague was under enemy assault when Batra tried to save him and got enemy firing on his head and chest.  He was martyred while fighting for Peak Point 4875 at Kargil, Jammu and Kashmir on July 07, 1999.

Capt. Batra was posthumously  honoured with Param Vir Chakra, the highest gallantry military  award. His father GL Batra received the honour.

You may have known….

Indian Railway employs about 1.4 million people, making it one of the world’s largest employers.

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