Today’s Motto: ‘The only difference between success and failure is the ability to take action’

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

On this day, 14 Feb….
Americans celebrate love and friendship by exchanging cards, flowers, and candy. Although the origin  of Valentine’s Day  is murky, ancient Romans celebrated the feast of Lupercalia, a spring festival, on 15th of February.

1849 – In New York City, James Knox Polk becomes first serving US President to have his photograph taken. He was the US President from 1845-49.

1899 – US Congress begins using voting machines.

1924 – IBM Corporation founded by Thomas J Watson. He’s believed to be helping Adolf Hitler collect vital data from 1930 onwards and  during WW-II. (pic credit-pinerest.com).

1933 – The first telephone speaking clock came into operation in the Paris area.

1971 – Richard Nixon instals secret taping system in White House.

1978 – The first “micro on a chip” (microprocessor) was patented.

1984 – Six-year-old Stormie Jones from Texas became the world’s first heart-liver double transplant recipient.

1989 – Union Carbide agrees to pay $470 mill damages for Bhopal disaster.

1996 – President dedicates 55,000-seated   JL Nehru International Stadium at Kochi to the nation.

1998 – 13 bomb blasts take place in Coimbatore an hour before the BJP president Advani was to address a campaign meeting; 52 people killed.

2003 – Dolly, the world-famous first cloned sheep, was put down, at age about 6½ years. She had been suffering from a progressive lung disease (pic credit-pixabay.com).

2005 – YouTube is launched in the United States by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim (pic credit-creativeblog.com). 

2019 – Explosive-packed vehicle rams CRPF convoy in Kashmir killing at least 40 soldiers. Islamic group Jaish-e-Mohammad of Pakistan claimed  responsibility for attack.  India soon avenged the attack by conducting Balakot Airstike  demolishinmg Pak based millitant camps  (pic credit-PTI thru’News18).

2024 – Korean scientists say they have created “meaty rice”, with beef grown inside rice grains in a lab, adding 8% more protein.

Born…. 1483 – Zahir Al-Din Muhammad Babur Shah, founder of Mughal dynasty in India.

1914 – Jan Nisar Akhtar, veteran  Urdu poet, who wrote many popular ghazals and nazms. He also wrote several superhit film  lyrics. He was co-founder of Progressive Writers’ Movement. He won  Sahitya Akademi, Sovietland Nehru  and a  Filmfare award. His son Javed Akhtar is also a popular and successful  film scriptwriter and lyricist.

1922 – Pt.  Bhimsen Joshi, great  classical  singer and composer. Belonged to Kirana vocalists  ghrarana, Khyal and composed popular  devotional  Bhajan songs. He waas awarded  Padma Bhushan (1972), later Padma Vibhushan (1985) and Bharat Ratna in 2009).

1933 – Madhubala ( Mumtaz Jehan Dehlavi), actor. She is considered to be one of the most beautiful actresses to have worked in the industry and is highly regarded as “The Venus of Indian Cinema” and “The Beauty with Tragedy”. Out of her  71 films, the  most successful films were Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi,  Hawrah Bridge, Kala Pani, Basant, Mumtaz Mahal, Dhanna Bhagat, Amar, Badal, Mr & Mrs 55, Jaali Note, Anarkali, Barsat Ki Raat, Mughal-e Azam etc.  She won some Filmfare, National Film and several other  accolades. She died at a young age of 36 but has left a big legacy of her stule of acting.

1952 – Smt. Sushma Kaushal Swaraj,  lawyer, scholar, popular politician of Janata Party, Jan Sangh and Bhartiya Janata Party,  former CM of Delhi,  Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha (2009-14), Indian Foreign Minister between 2014-19. She was honoured with Padma Vibhushan in 2020.

You may have known….

Indian industries made rapid strides during the First World War (1914-18) due to rise in demand for industrial goods by the Armed Forces. However, the real spurt was provided by the Indian Fiscal Commission set up in 1921-22. This gave the much needed protection to industries like iron and steel, textiles, cement, sugar, paper and metals.

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