On this day:1879: Werner von Siemens presents the world’s first electric locomotive, soon used in trams 1961: South Africa becomes an independent republic 2013: The widest tornado ever recorded hits El Reno, Oklahoma Born on this day:1819: Walt Whitman, American poet, author 1863: Francis Younghusband, British journalist and explorer (1904 Read more…
On this day:1911: The first Indianapolis 500 is held, now one of the world’s most prestigious sports events 2011: Germany abandons nuclear energy Born on this day:1846: Peter Carl Fabergé, Russian goldsmith, jeweller, creator of Fabergé eggs Gone on this day:1778: Voltaire, French philosopher
On this day:1953: Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay conquered Mount Everest 2015: Heatwave in India centred in Telengana and Andhra Pradesh states is reported to have killed 1800 people in a week Born on this day:1906: T. H. White, English novelist, author of the King Arthur novels, born in Bombay, Read more…
On this day:1937: Volkswagen (VW) is founded 1961: Amnesty International is founded 1963: Estimated 22,000 die in a cyclone in the Bay of Bengal (India) 1998: Pakistan responds to a series of Indian nuclear tests with five of its own, prompting many countries to impose economic sanctions. Born on this Read more…
On this day:1851: The world’s first chess tournament is held in London 1937: The Golden Gate Bridge is opened 2017: In Bangalore, India, white puffy toxic foam begins spilling out of Varthur Lake onto city streets Born on this day:1923: Henry Kissinger, German/American politician, Nobel Prize laureate Gone on this Read more…
On this day:1896: The Dow Jones Industrial Average is first published 1908: Engineers make the first major oil find in the Middle East 1972: The Soviet Union and the United States sign the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty Gone on this day:1908: Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, an Indian religious leader, founded the Ahmadiyya Read more…
On this day:1963: 32 African countries form a coalition called AOU against white rule. AOU was the precursor of the African Union 1965: India and Pakistan border fights begin Born on this day: 1803: Ralph Waldo Emerson, American poet, philosopher 1886: Rash Behari Bose, Indian revolutionary leader against the British Read more…
On this day:1830: One of the world’s best-known nursery rhymes, Mary had a little lamb, is published 1916: Last British-Indian contract workers arrive in Suriname 1970: Engineers begin drilling the world’s deepest hole, the kola superdeep borehole, of 40,230 feet depth Born on this day:1941: Bob Dylan, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, Read more…
On this day:1844: Siyyid `Alí Muḥammad Shírází founds Bábism, the forerunner of Bahá’í faith 1949: The Federal Republic of Germany is established 1951: Delegates of the Dalai Lama sign the Seventeen Point Agreement Born on this day:1707: Carl Linnaeus, Swedish botanist, physician, zoologist Gone on this day:1937: John D. Rockefeller, Read more…
On this day:1906: The Wright brothers’ flying machine is patented 1960: The most violent earthquake in recorded history, measuring 9.5 on the Richter scale, hits Chile 1992: India launches its Agni rocket 2004: Manmohan Singh becomes the 13th Prime Minister of India Born on this day:1772: Ram Mohan Roy, Hindu Read more…