Today’s Motto: ‘Though we can’t go back and make a new beginning, we can surely make a new ending’

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

On this day, 05 Aug ….

1776 – The King of West Bengal, Maharaja Nandakumar was hanged in Calcutta (now Kolkata), this was the last ‘execution on false charges of  fraud’  in India by a British judge  (pic credit-indiatvnews.com).

1861 – U.S. Army abolishes flogging. (In the 18th and 19th centuries, European armies administered floggings to common soldiers who committed breaches of the military code. During the American Revolutionary War, the American Congress raised the legal limit on lashes from 39 to 100 for soldiers who were convicted by courts-martial. Generally, officers were not flogged. However, in 1745, a cashiered British officer could have his sword broken over his head, among other indignities inflicted on him. Flogging was a common disciplinary measure in the British Royal Navy that became associated with a seaman’s manly disregard for pain. In the Napoleonic Wars, the maximum number of lashes that could be inflicted on soldiers in the British Army reached 1,200. One soldier was sentenced to 700 lashes for stealing a beehive).

1891 – 1st travellers checks issued; American Express.

1914 – A lighting ceremony was held for the first electric traffic lights used to control flow of different streams of traffic in Cleveland, Ohio. The traffic signals were red and green lights on street-corner poles, wired to a manually operated switch housed inside a control booth beside the road. The switch design prevented conflicting signals. A bell warned the drivers of colour changes. (The first traffic control light used a gas-lit lantern, in London, 10 Dec 1868).

1926 – 1st talkie movie “Don Juan” at Warner Theatre, New York.

1926 – Houdini stays in a coffin under water for 1½ hours before escaping.

1939 – In the first case to be brought under Prohibition laws, a railroad passenger was today convicted of possessing a bottle of brandy in Bombay.

1964 – U.S. begins bombing North Vietnam.

1975 – The RSS, Anand Marg, Jamat-i-Islami, and 23 other organisations were banned.

1981 – Jagjivan Ram heads breakaway Congress(U) and calls new party Congress (J). HN Bahuguna and other old  Congress members joined him.

1999 – Nisha Millet became the first Indian swimmer to receive the International Olympic Committee’s Solidarity Scholarship, given to sportspersons with outstanding track record and possessing Olympic potential.

2010 – A cloudburst and subsequent floods killed 115 people in Leh, Kashmir.

2011 – In The journal Science, NASA scientists claimed to have running water on Mars.

2014 – Obama signs The Iron Dome Bill providing $225 million in additional funding for Israel’s Iron Dome defense.

2019 – Indian government change of the status of Kashmir from a state to a union territory, revoking Article 370 in response to security concerns.

2020 – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi lays the cornerstone for a new Hindu temple at Ayodhya Ram to replace a previous Muslim mosque.

2024 – Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigns and flees the country as protesters storm government buildings in Dhaka, including the Presidential Palace.

Born…. 1969 – Venkatesh Prasad, Indiia’s  consistent Test pace bowler. He took 96 wickets in 33 Tests  (with 5  for Zero  runs in a spell) and later  6 for 33 runs against Pakistan in 1999 in Chennai  and   took 196 wkts  in  161  ODIs.He paired with another  pacer Javdagal  Srinath  in most of India outings. He also coached Indian  team and  RCB in 2008,  Punjab Kings  XI  in IPL format in 2018. (pic credit-indiatv.com).

1974 – Kajol Mukherjee,  Bollywood  actress, daughter of  erstwhile popular  actress Tanuja Behl,  Kajol entered films while studying in school with a role in Bekhudi in 1992 and later got Baazigar, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, My Name is Khan, Kuchh Kuchh Hota Hai.. mostly with Shah Rukh as hero. More films brought her to top   slot in Box Office and won her  5 Filmfare and several other accolades. She is married to  the famous action hero Ajay Devgn.

1987 – Genelia D’Souza,  Sri Lankan  actress.  She has  acted in Telugu, Tamil and some Hindi  films.  Her films Tujhe Meri Kasam, Boys, Bommarilu, Jaane tu.. Ya Jaane Na, Tere Nal Love Ho Gaya, Satyam, Masti, Happy, Dhee, etc. have earned her many film and regional  awards. She is married Riteish Deshmukh, son of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Dershmukh,

RIP…. 1950 – Gopinath Bardoloi, architect of modern Assam, freedom fighter and leader. He was the first Chief Minister of Assam between 1946-50  (pic credit-prokerala.com).

1986 – Vellupillai Prabakaran, Tamil rebel leader.of Sri Lanka,  who established LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam)  for formation a separate Tamil state out of  Stri Lanka.

1991 – Soichiro Honda was the Japanese engineer, race car driver and industrialist, who founded the Honda Motor Co., motor cycle and race cars etc. Starting  with  a small wooden shack assembling cycle motors, he  rose to  erect  a huge  auto  empire,  manufacturing  motorcycles, cars,  racing vehicles  under the banner Honda Motor Co. Ltd.  and  aircraft  components manufacturing unit  Nakajima Aircraft Co. His automoblies  group is  the 8th largest  automobile company globally, with an estimated  market value of over  $ 46.8 Billion (pic credit-honda.es) 

2000 – Lala Amarnath Bharadwaj, father of Indian Cricket. He was the first batsman ever to score a century for India in Test cricket. He was independent India’s first cricket captain and captained India in the first Test series win against Pakistan in 1952.. He played 24 Tests and scored  878 runs. Also bowled 45 batsmen  in 24 Tests at 22.98 average with 7/27 being his best  bowling.  He was also a commentator, coach and selector of Indian Teams. He was honoured with Padma Bhushan and CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement award. His three sons  Mohinder, Surinder and Rajinder also played  First Class cricket, with Mohinder Amarnath  being part of the 1983 World Cup  winning squad.

You may have known…. During the period 1951-2011, religion-wise population trends as percentage of population: Hinduism- 84.1 to 79.8%, Islam – 9.8 to 14.23% , Christianity – 2.3 to 2.3%, Sikhism – 1.79 to 1.72%.

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