Today’s Motto: ‘The mediocre leader tells. The good leader explains……….

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

On this day, 17 Nov….

1797 – The first patent in the U.S. for a clock was issued to Eli Terry of East Windsor, for an equation clock. The clock had two minute hands, one of which showed the mean or true time, while the other “together with the striking part and hour hand showed the apparent time, as divided by the sun according to the table of variation of the sun and clock for each day of the year.”

1820 – Antarctica discovered by Nathaniel B. Palmer on the ‘Hero’, a 47 foot sloop.

1849 – The first bowler hat was sold by Lock & Co. of St. James’s, London, to William Coke for twelve shillings. He had placed an order intending for the hat to protect him from low-hanging branches when he was out shooting. On this day, he travelled to London to take delivery, and tested it by putting it on the floor and stamping on it. It had been made for Lock & Co. by Thomas and William Bowler, felt hat makers on Southwark Bridge Road, London. This accounts for the name ‘Bowler’ by which the hat is now known, although Lock’s still refer to the style as a Coke after their first customer who bought it (pic credit-Vanity Fair).

1853 – Street signs authorised at San Francisco intersections.

1869 – The Suez Canal in Egypt was opened with a ceremony attended by the French Empress Eugénie. The 100-mile long canal cuts across the Isthmus of Suez, thus linking the Mediterranean and the Red seas, and providing a direct transportation route for trade between Europe and Asia. Its construction was accomplished by the French engineer, Ferdinand de Lesseps.

1925 – Dr. W. Blair Bell gave a lecture in London, advocating treatment of cancer with colloidal lead injections. The May 1926 issue of Popular Science Monthly said he the metal was injected into veins near the cancerous growth and claimed that in seventeen years of testing, out of about 200 cases treated, most of them thought hopeless, almost fifty were believed entirely and permanently cured. Bell was a surgeon.

1970 – A U.S. patent was issued for the computer mouse – an “X-Y Position Indicator for a Display System.

1994 – India’s North Eastern Council decides to include Sikkim in the Council.

2008 – The world’s oldest polar bear Debby died at age 41 going on 42, euthanised after suffering from several strokes and organ failure.

2014 – The Church of England adopts legislation enabling the appointment of female bishops.

2019 – Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei labels protesters “thugs” after unrest over higher gasoline prices brought Tehran to a standstill day before.

2023 – Earth’s hottest day: global average surface temperature more than 2°C (2.06°C) above pre-industrial levels for the first time according to EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.

Born….

1887 – Bernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Alamein, British WWII Field Marshal (African campaign, D-Day) and WWI officer (pic credit-Wikipedia).

1906 – Soichiro Honda, the Japanese engineer, race car driver and industrialist who founded the Honda Motor Company in 1948, for  motor cycle and car manufacturing. His net worth in 1971 was $91.2 B and the company’s annual revenue  in 2018 was  $50..4 B. (pic credit-ATV Trail Rider Magazine).

1920 – Gemini Ganesan, Tamil  and Bollywood  actor who started his  career in Miss Malin in 1947 and went on work in  over 200 films including  Tamil, Telugu, Malyalam and Kannada  fims including Devta, Rudraveena, Poonmana Sekvan, Gemini,  Ramanujam etc. He married twice and had 7 daughters including Rekha, the  popular Bollywood heroine from  1970s tilldate. S. Ganesan got Filmfare, Kalaimamani, MGR TN State awards and Padam Shri in  1971.

1961 – Chanda Kochhar, Indian business woman (former CEO of ICICI Bank). She started as Management trainee in SBI and later shifted to ICICI as CEO and Managing Director. She is known for innovation in Retail Banking. She received honorary Degree in  2014.  Although she  was removed from service in 2018 for some doubtful transactions and conflict of interest with some corporates.

1982 – Yusuf Pathan, aggressive Indian batsman and off-break bowler.  Has not played any Test matches but played  more in Ranji Trophy for Baroda. Also played 22 T20Is, 57 ODIs and also played  in IPL format for Rajasthan Royals and KKR Kolkata. He retired from all formats in  Feb. 2021.

RIP….

1928 – Lala Lajpat Rai, a freedom fighter. He played a pivotal role in the Indian Independence movement. He was popularly known as Punjab Kesari. He was one third of the Lal Bal Pal triumvirate. He sustained serious injuries by the police when leading a non-violent protest against the Simon Commission and died less than three weeks later.

2012 – Bal Thackeray, politician. Bal Keshav Thackeray founded the Shiv Sena, a Hindu right-wing Marathi ethnocentric party active mainly in Maharashtra. his  Uddhav Thackeray was Maharashtra CM for some years ijncoalition with BJP. Later deposed by  party MLA making Eknath Shinde CM two  years ago (June 2022).

You may have known….

Caterpillars completely liquify as they transform into moths (pic credit-Pexels).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                {Compiled by Lt. Gen. (R)  Raj Kadyan}