Today’s Motto: ‘The Book of Life does not have answers at the back’

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

On this day, 04 Dec….
(Indian Navy Day 1971- celebrated  ther success of Operation Trident at Karachi port).

1791 – Britain’s Observer, oldest Sunday newspaper in world, 1st published

1829 – Britain abolished “suttee” in India (widow burning herself to death on her husband’s funeral pyre).

1860 – Augustino Lourenço from Goa earned his doctorate in Chemistry from Paris University; the first Indian to earn it from a foreign university.

1924 – Gateway of India was inaugurated by Lord Riding on Bombay’s Nariman Point beach.

1959 – India and Nepal sign the Gandak irrigation project agreement.

1971 – The UN Security Council calls an emergency session to consider the deteriorating situation between India and Pakistan.

1971 – The Indian Navy attacks the Pakistan Navy and Karachi.

1992 – India’s Middle distance runner Bahadur Prasad wins the second Gold Medal in 5,000 m in Asian Track and Field meet in Manila. He also had a record of  13:29:70 for running 5,000 meters at Bermingham  AAA Championship  on July 27,  1992. He was honoured with Arjuna Award  (pic credit-alchetron.com).

1996 – India launched the unmanned Mars Pathfinder spacecraft on its way to Mars (pic credit-marssociety.org.au).

2011 – In Koblenz, Germany, 45,000 citizens wait to return home after bomb squads diffuse World War II bombs

2019 – North American migratory birds getting smaller, their wings wider due to climate change according to study by University of Michigan published in journal “Ecology Letters”

2015 – Floods in Chennai and Tamil Nadu state start receding after a month of heavy rainfall, leaving more 260 dead and thousands stranded.

Born…. 1910 – Ramaswamy Venkataraman,  8th President of India between 1987-92. Having a distinguished career as a lawyer, minister in K Kamraj and Bhaktavatsalam Govts. in  Madras state. He was also member Constituent Assembly and later a Union Minister under Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Govts.  He became Vice President in 1984-87 and President  after Giani Zail Singh retired. He wrote sevaral books on Economics and Industrial  Development. He won Soviet Land Nehru award.

1910 – Motilal, famous film actor, writer  and director. Known for mainly tregedy roles in Bollywood films like  Pehli Nazar, Ek thi Larki (1953), Ek Do Teen, Anari, Taqdeer, Devdas, Chhoti Chhoti Baten,  Parakh,  Jaagte Raho, Mastana, Ab Dilli Door Nahin, Waqt, Jee Chahta Hai etc.  Was awarded a Filmfare and two Certificate of Merit  for Story writing and direction. (pic credit-Times of India Photos). 

1919 – Inderkumar Gujral, former Prime Minister of India between 1997-98. A  diplomat  who also served  as Indian Ambassador to the USSR in 1976, and served  as  Infomation & Boadcasting  minister  during  Emergecy(1975-77).

1963 – Jaaved Jaffery, Bollywood actor.

1977 – Ajit Agarkar, Indian  cricketer who is  third best Wicket-keeper and aggressive  Mumbai team,  India cricketer. Played  (26 Tests)  for India between 1998-2006 and 192 ODIs. Also IPL for KKR and Delhi Daredevils and is the current Chief Selector of Indian team.                                                                                                                       

RIP…. 1131 – Omar Khayyam, Persian poet, mathematician, and astronomer. He produced a work on algebra that was used as a textbook in Persia until this century. (He is known to English-speaking readers for his “quatrains” as The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, published in 1859 by Edward Fitzgerald, though it is now regarded as an anthology of which little or nothing may be by Omar)                                                                                                                      

1962 – Annapurnanand Varma, one of the pioneers of Hindi Comics and satires in Hindi poetery. He wrote famous Akbari Lota, Badlu Mama, Lakh ki Chudiyan etc.

2017 – Shashi Kapoor, was an Indian actor and producer known primarily for his work in Hindi films.  Youngest son of legendary Prithviraj Kapoor and  brother of celebrated  film industry greats  Raj Kapoor,  Shammi Kapoor, Shashi  was a  great actor and is a recipient of several accolades, including four National Film Awards and two Filmfare Awards.  He is known for 36 Chowringhee Lane, Ajooba, Deevar,  Junoon, The Machine Age, Jab Jab Phool Khile, Aag, Kanyadan, Shirmeeli, Faqira, Cor Machaye Shor etc. He was honoured with Dadasaheb Phalke award in 2014.

Tidbits..….1680 – Hen in Rome lays an egg imprinted with comet not seen until Dec 16th.

You may have known…. The Warsaw Pact developed a top-secret military simulation exercise called Seven Days to the River Rhine that was hidden that were hidden under the Rhine River for nearly 65 years.                              2.   According to recent data, the male literacy rate in India is approximately 87.2%, and the female literacy rate is around 74.6%. The overall literacy rate is 80.9%. The gender gap is reportedly more pronounced in rural areas compared to urban areas.                                                                                                                                                                                            {Compiled by  Lt. Gen. (R)  Raj Kadyan}