Negotiations for the hijacked Indian Airlines Flight 814 concluded in 1999

 

On 31 December 1999, Negotiations for the hijacked Indian Airlines Flight 814 concluded.

When Indian Airlines Flight 814 took off from Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport on December 24, 1999, it was the beginning of a week-long nightmare for not just the passengers on board but their families in India and elsewhere as well. After it entered Indian airspace at around 5.30 p.m., the aircraft was hijacked by gunmen — and the Indian government faced a crisis situation as a shocked nation watched the dramatic events unfold.

Eventually, when negotiations between the hijackers and Indian authorities concluded on December 31, the passengers were released — but India had to pay a heavy price.

After hijacking the plane the gunmen threatened to blow it up and ordered Captain Devi Sharan to fly over Lucknow and head towards Lahore in Pakistan. But as there was insufficient fuel the hijackers agreed to the plane’s landing in Amritsar.

Indian authorities initially wanted the plane to stay in Amritsar and a fuel tanker was sent to block its path. But the hijackers ordered the plane to take off without refueling.

With the fuel nearly finished, the plane landed in Lahore where it was refueled and allowed to fly off.

Karl Benz filed for a patent on his first reliable two-stroke gas engine in 1878

 

On 31 December 1878, Karl Benz, working in Mannheim, Germany, filed for a patent on his first reliable two-stroke gas engine. He was granted the patent in 1879.

A two-stroke, engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being completed in one revolution of the crankshaft. A four-stroke engine requires four strokes of the piston to complete a power cycle during two crankshaft revolutions. In a two-stroke engine, the end of the combustion stroke and the beginning of the compression stroke happen simultaneously, with the intake and exhaust (or scavenging) functions occurring at the same time.

Thomas Edison demonstrated incandescent lighting to the public for the first time in 1879

 

On 31 December 1879, Thomas Edison demonstrated incandescent lighting to the public for the first time, in Menlo Park, New Jersey.

An incandescent lamp is an electric light with a wire filament heated until it glows. The filament is enclosed in a glass bulb with a vacuum or inert gas to protect the filament from oxidation. Current is supplied to the filament by terminals or wires embedded in the glass. A bulb socket provides mechanical support and electrical connections.

Robert Boyle's Death Anniversary

 

Robert Boyle, who passed away on 31 December 1691, was an Anglo-Irish natural philosopher, chemist, physicist, alchemist and inventor. Boyle is largely regarded today as the first modern chemist, and therefore one of the founders of modern chemistry, and one of the pioneers of modern experimental scientific method. He is best known for Boyle's law, which describes the inversely proportional relationship between the absolute pressure and volume of a gas, if the temperature is kept constant within a closed system. Among his works, The Sceptical Chymist is seen as a cornerstone book in the field of chemistry. He was a devout and pious Anglican and is noted for his writings in theology.

Marie Curie received her 2nd Nobel Prize in 1911

 

On 31 December 1911, Marie Curie received her 2nd Nobel Prize.

Marie Curie, was a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, is the only woman to win the Nobel Prize twice, and is the only person to win the Nobel Prize in two different scientific fields. She was part of the Curie family legacy of five Nobel Prizes. She was also the first woman to become a professor at the University of Paris, and in 1995 became the first woman to be entombed on her own merits in the Panthéon in Paris.

Shrilal Shukla's Birth Anniversary

 

Shrilal Shukla, born on 31 December 1925, was a Hindi writer, notable for his satire. He worked as a PCS officer for the state government of Uttar Pradesh, later inducted into the IAS. He has written over 25 books, including Raag Darbari, Makaan, Sooni Ghaati Ka Sooraj, Pehla Padaav and Bisrampur Ka Sant.

U Kiang Nangbah martyred in 1862

 

U Kiang Nangbah, was a Khasi (Pnar) freedom fighter from Meghalaya who led an uprising against the British. He was hanged by the British publicly at Iawmusiang in Jowai town in West Jaintia Hills district on 30 December 1862. A government college was also opened at Jowai in 1967 in his honour.

Dushyant Kumar's Death Anniversary

 

Dushyant Kumar, who passed away on 30 December 1975, was an Indian poet of modern Hindi literature. He is famous for writing Hindi Ghazals, and is generally recognised as one of the foremost Hindi poets of the 20th century.

Kanhaiyalal Maneklal Munshi's Birth Anniversary

 

Kanhaiyalal Maneklal Munshi, born on 30 December 1887, was an Indian independence movement activist, politician, writer and educationist from Gujarat state. A lawyer by profession, he later turned to author and politician. He is a well-known name in Gujarati literature. He founded Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, an educational trust, in 1938.

Ramana Maharshi's Birth Anniversary

Ramana Maharshi, born on 30 December 1879, was an Indian sage and jivanmukta. He was born Venkataraman Iyer, but is most commonly known by the name Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi.

Rudyard Kipling's Birth Anniversary

 

Rudyard Kipling, born on 30 December 1865, was an English journalist, short-story writer, poet, and novelist. He was born in India, which inspired much of his work. Kipling's works of fiction include The Jungle Book, Kim, and many short stories, including "The Man Who Would Be King".

Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai's Death Anniversary

 

Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai, who passed away on 30 December 1971, was an Indian physicist and astronomer who initiated space research and helped develop nuclear power in India. He was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 1966 and the Padma Vibhushan (posthumously) in 1972. He is internationally regarded as the Father of the Indian Space Program.

Soviet Union founded in 1922

 

On 30 December 1922, Creation of the USSR formally proclaimed in Moscow from the Bolshoi Theatre, Soviet Union organized as a federation of RSFSR, Ukrainian SSR, Belorussian SSR and Transcaucasian SSR.

Soviet Union, in full Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.), former northern Eurasian empire stretching from the Baltic and Black seas to the Pacific Ocean and, in its final years, consisting of 15 Soviet Socialist Republics (S.S.R.’s): Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belorussia (now Belarus), Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kirgiziya (now Kyrgyzstan), Latvia, Lithuania, Moldavia (now Moldova), Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. The capital was Moscow, then and now the capital of Russia.

During the period of its existence, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was by area the world’s largest country. It was also one of the most diverse, with more than 100 distinct nationalities living within its borders. The majority of the population, however, was made up of East Slavs (Russians, Ukrainians, and Belorussians); these groups together made up more than two-thirds of the total population in the late 1980s.

Subhas Chandra Bose raised the flag of Indian independence at Port Blair in 1943

 

On 30 December 1943, Subhas Chandra Bose raised the flag of Indian independence at Port Blair.

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was and will always remain one of the brightest shining stars of India's independence movement.

At a time when the likes of Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Nehru advocated for peaceful means of protests, Bose popularly known as Netaji took matters into his own hand and went ahead with an aggressive push for free India, even setting up a government in exile.

The island at that time was liberated from British rule by Japan which captured it during the World War -II.

On 29th December 1943, Netaji accompanied by Sarvashri Anand Mohan Sahay, Captain Rawat - ADC and Col. DS Raju, the personal physician of Netaji, landed at the Port Blair aerodrome in the Andamans. He was received by the Japanese admiral at Port Blair. The enthusiastic Indians and Burmese also accorded a warm reception to him.

Bose named Andaman Island as Shaheed and Nicobar Island as Swaraj and appointed INA General AD Loganathan as the governor of the Islands. Azad Hind Government was not merely a Government in Exile anymore but had its own land, own currency, civil code and stamps.

By hoisting the Azad Hind flag, Bose, the head of Provisional Government of Azad Hind also fulfilled his promise that INA would stand on the Indian soil by the end of 1943.

Sunil Gavaskar scores his 30th Test hundred in 1983

 

On 29 December 1983, Indian cricket opening batsman Sunil Gavaskar scored an unbeaten 236 in drawn 6th Test v West Indies at Chennai; his 4th Test double century and 30th century, surpassing Don Bradman's record of 29 centuries.

Hakim Ajmal Khan's Death Anniversary

Hakim Ajmal Khan, who passed away on 29 December 1927, was a physician in Delhi, India, and one of the founders of the Jamia Millia Islamia University. He also founded another institution, Ayurvedic and Unani Tibbia College, situated in Karol Bagh, Delhi. He was the only Muslim to chair a session of the Hindu Mahasabha. He became the university's first chancellor in 1920 and remained in office until his death in 1927.

Bhaurao Gaikwad's Death Anniversary

 

Bhaurao Gaikwad, who passed away on 29 December 1971, was an Indian politician and social worker from Maharashtra. He was founder member of the Republican Party of India and was a member of parliament in both the Lok Sabha (1957 - 1962) and Rajya Sabha (1962 - 1968). He was a close colleague and follower of human rights leader B. R. Ambedkar. The people of Maharashtra honoured him with the sobriquet Karmaveer (King of actions) and the Government of India awarded him with Padma Shri in 1968 for his dedicated service to society.

Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi's Death Anniversary

 

Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi, who passed away on 29 December 1938, was an Indian Hindi writer and editor. Adhunikkaal, or the Modern period of the Hindi literature, is divided into four phases, and he represents the second phase, known as the Dwivedi Yug (1893–1918) after him, which was preceded by the Bharatendu Yug (1868–1893), followed by the Chhayavad Yug (1918–1937) and the Contemporary Period (1937–present).

Pt. Omkarnath Thakur's Death Anniversary

Pt. Omkarnath Thakur, who passed away on 29 December 1967, was an Indian music teacher, musicologist and Hindustani classical singer. A disciple of classical singer Vishnu Digambar Paluskar of Gwalior gharana, he became the principal of Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, Lahore, and later went on become the first dean of the music faculty at Banaras Hindu University. He also wrote book "sangeetanjli" vol 1 to 6.

Womesh Chunder Bonnerjee's Birth Anniversary

 

Womesh Chunder Bonnerjee, born on 29 December 1844, was an Indian barrister and was the co-founder and first president of Indian National Congress.

K. V. Puttappa's Birth Anniversary

 

K. V. Puttappa, born on 29 December 1904, was an Indian poet, playwright, novelist and critic. He is widely regarded as the greatest Kannada poet of the 20th century. He was the first Kannada writer to receive the Jnanpith Award.

Ramanand Sagar's Birth Anniversary

Ramanand Sagar, born on 29 December 1917, was an Indian film director. He is most famous for making the Ramayan television series, a 78-part TV adaptation of the ancient Hindu epic of the same name, starring Arun Govil as Lord Ram and Deepika Chikhalia as Sita. This TV serial was then widely watched and liked across the country. The Government of India awarded him the civilian honour of Padma Shri in 2000.

 

Deenanath Mangeshkar's Birth Anniversary

Deenanath Mangeshkar, born on 29 December 1900, was a well-known Marathi theatre actor, a renowned Natya Sangeet musician and a Hindustani classical vocalist. He is also the father of well-known singers Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Meena Khadikar and Usha Mangeshkar as well as composer Hridaynath Mangeshkar.

Rajesh Khanna's Birth Anniversary

 

Rajesh Khanna, born on 29 December 1942, was an Indian actor, film producer and politician who is best known for his work in the Hindi cinema. He is referred to as the "First Superstar" of Indian cinema. He starred in 15 consecutive 'solo hero' hit films from 1969 to 1971, a record ‘unbroken’ as of 2019.

Central Reserve Police Force came into being in 1949

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is India's largest Central Armed Police Force. It functions under the authority of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) of the Government of India. The CRPF's primary role lies in assisting the State/Union Territories in police operations to maintain law and order and counter insurgency. It came into existence as the Crown Representative's Police on 27 July 1939. After Indian Independence, it became the Central Reserve Police Force on enactment of the CRPF Act on 28 December 1949. 

Sumitranandan Pant's Death Anniversary

Sumitranandan Pant, who passed away on 28 December 1977, was an Indian poet. He was one of the most celebrated 20th century poets of the Hindi language and was known for romanticism in his poems which were inspired by nature, people and beauty within.

Dhirubhai Ambani's Birth Anniversary

Dhirubhai Ambani, born on 28 December 1932, was an Indian business tycoon who founded Reliance Industries in Bombay and appeared in The Sunday Times top 50 businessmen in Asia. Ambani took Reliance public in 1977 and was worth $25.6 billion upon his death on 6 July 2002. In 2016, he was honored posthumously with the Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian honour for his contributions to trade and industry.

First session of the Indian National Congress was held in 1885

The first session of the Indian National Congress was held on 28 December 1885 in Bombay. The initial name of the organization was Indian National Union.

The Indian National Congress conducted its first session in Bombay from 28 to 31 December 1885 at the initiative of retired Civil Service officer Allan Octavian Hume. In 1883, Hume had outlined his idea for a body representing Indian interests in an open letter to graduates of the University of Calcutta. It aimed to obtain a greater share in government for educated Indians and to create a platform for civic and political dialogue between them and the British Raj. Hume took the initiative, and in March 1885 a notice convening the first meeting of the Indian National Union to be held in Poona the following December was issued. However due to a cholera outbreak there, it was moved to Bombay.

Hume organized the first meeting in Bombay with the approval of the Viceroy Lord Dufferin. Umesh Chandra Banerjee was the first president of Congress; the first session was attended by 72 delegates, representing each province of India. Notable representatives included Scottish ICS officer William Wedderburn, Dadabhai Naoroji, Pherozeshah Mehta of the Bombay Presidency Association, Ganesh Vasudeo Joshi of the Poona Sarvajanik Sabha, social reformer and newspaper editor Gopal Ganesh Agarkar, Justice K. T. Telang, N. G. Chandavarkar, Dinshaw Wacha, Behramji Malabari, journalist, and activist Gooty Kesava Pillai, and P. Rangaiah Naidu of the Madras Mahajana Sabha. This small elite group, unrepresentative of the Indian masses at the time, functioned more as a stage for elite Indian ambitions than a political party for the first decade of its existence.

 

Jana Gana Mana first publicly sung in 1911

Jana Gana Mana is the national anthem of India. It was originally composed as Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata in Bengali by poet Rabindranath Tagore. Later, it was written in sadhu Bengali or tatsama Bengali which is heavily sanskiritised. The first stanza of the song Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India as the National Anthem on 24 January 1950. It was first publicly sung on 27 December 1911 at the Calcutta (now Kolkata) Session of the Indian National Congress.

Bhaskara Sethupathy's Death Anniversary

Bhaskara Sethupathy, who passed away on 27 December 1903, was a Zamindar of Ramnad. He became the recognised proprietor of the Ramnad estate after his father's death in 1873 until 1895. From 1895, he assumed Managership of Rameswaram until 1901.

He was regarded as a pious, brilliant and generous ruler by his supporters.

In 1892, Swami Vivekananda stayed with Bhaskara when he visited Madurai and he sponsored Vivekananda's visit to Parliament of the World's Religions held in Chicago. During his stay, Swami Vivekananda had extensive discussions on Hindu philosophy with eminent scholars like Mahavidwan R. Raghava Iyengar. 

Albert Ekka's Birth Anniversary

Albert Ekka, PVC, born on 27 December 1942, was a soldier in the Indian Army. He was martyred in action in the Battle of Gangasagar, during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971. He was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest award for valour in the face of the enemy. 

Johannes Kepler's Birth Anniversary

Johannes Kepler, born on 27 December 1571, was a German astronomer, mathematician, astrologer, natural philosopher and writer on music. He is a key figure in the 17th-century Scientific Revolution, best known for his laws of planetary motion, and his books Astronomia nova, Harmonice Mundi, and Epitome Astronomiae Copernicanae. These works also provided one of the foundations for Newton's theory of universal gravitation.

Panjabrao Shamrao Deshmukh's Birth Anniversary

Panjabrao Shamrao Deshmukh, born on 27 December 1898, was a social activist and a leader to farmers in India. He was the Minister of Agriculture in the first cabinet of Jawaharlal Nehru in 1952. 

Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma's Death Anniversary

Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma, who passed away on 27 December 1846, was the Maharaja of the Kingdom of Travancore. He is also considered as a brilliant music composer and is credited with over 400 classical compositions in both Carnatic and Hindustani style.

Benazir Bhutto assassinated in 2007

On 27 December 2007, former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated by a suicide bomber in Rawalpindi.

Gustave Eiffel's Death Anniversary

Gustave Eiffel, who passed away on 27 December 1923, was a French civil engineer. A graduate of École Centrale Paris, he made his name building various bridges for the French railway network, most famously the Garabit viaduct. He is best known for the world-famous Eiffel Tower, built for the 1889 Universal Exposition in Paris, and his contribution to building the Statue of Liberty in New York. After his retirement from engineering, Eiffel focused on research into meteorology and aerodynamics, making significant contributions in both fields. 

Louis Pasteur's Birth Anniversary

Louis Pasteur,  born on 27 December 1822, was a French biologist, microbiologist and chemist renowned for his discoveries of the principles of vaccination, microbial fermentation and pasteurization. He is remembered for his remarkable breakthroughs in the causes and prevention of diseases, and his discoveries have saved many lives ever since. He reduced mortality from puerperal fever, and created the first vaccines for rabies and anthrax.

Mirza Ghalib's Birth Anniversary

Mirza Ghalib, born on 27 December 1797, was a prominent Urdu and Persian poet during the last years of the Mughal Empire. He used his pen-names of Ghalib. His honorific was Dabir-ul-Mulk, Najm-ud-Daula. During his lifetime, the already declining Mughal empire was eclipsed and displaced by the Colonial British Raj and finally deposed following the defeat of the Indian rebellion of 1857, are some of the events that he described through his work.

K. Shankar Pillai's Death Anniversary

K. Shankar Pillai, who passed away on 26 December 1989, was an Indian cartoonist. He is considered the father of political cartooning in India. He founded Shankar's Weekly, India's Punch in 1948. Shankar's Weekly also produced cartoonists like Abu Abraham, Ranga and Kutty, he closed down the magazine during the Emergency of 25 June 1975. From then on, he turned to making children laugh and enjoy life. 

Henry Louis Vivian Derozio's Death Anniversary

Henry Louis Vivian Derozio, who passed away on 26 December 1831, was an Indian poet of English and Portuguese origin and assistant headmaster of Hindu College, Kolkata. He was a radical thinker of his time and one of the first Indian educators to disseminate Western learning and science among the young men of Bengal.

Savitri's Death Anniversary

Savitri, who passed away on 26 December 1981, was an Indian film actress, playback singer, dancer, director and producer known for her works primarily in Telugu cinema and Tamil cinema. She is also known for her works in Kannada, Malayalam, and Bollywood films. 

Yashpal's Death Anniversary

Yashpal, who passed away on 26 December 1976, was a Hindi-language author who is sometimes considered to be the poor man’s Premchand. A political commentator and a socialist, he wrote in a range of genres, including essays, novels and short stories, as well as a play, two travel books and an autobiography. He won the Hindi-language Sahitya Akademi Award for his novel, Meri Teri Uski Baat in 1976 and was also a recipient of the Padma Bhushan.

Shankar Dayal Sharma's Death Anniversary

Shankar Dayal Sharma, who passed away on 26 December 1999, was the ninth President of India, serving from 1992 to 1997. Prior to his presidency, Sharma had been the eighth Vice President of India, serving under R. Venkataraman. He was also the Chief Minister (1952–1956) of Bhopal State, and Cabinet Minister (1956–1967), holding the portfolios of Education, Law, Public Works, Industry and Commerce, National Resources and Separate Revenue. He was the President of the Indian National Congress in 1972–1974 and returned to the Government as Union Minister for Communications from 1974 to 1977.

Charles Babbage's Birth Anniversary

Charles Babbage, born on 26 December 1791, was an English polymath. A mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer, Babbage originated the concept of a digital programmable computer. 

Baba Amte's Birth Anniversary

Baba Amte, born on 26 December 1914, was an Indian social worker and social activist known particularly for his work for the rehabilitation and empowerment of people suffering from leprosy. He has received numerous awards and prizes including the Padma Vibhushan, the Dr. Ambedkar International Award, the Gandhi Peace Prize, the Ramon Magsaysay Award, the Templeton Prize and the Jamnalal Bajaj award. 

Udham Singh's Birth Anniversary

Udham Singh, born on 26 December 1899, was a revolutionary belonging to the Ghadar Party best known for his assassination in London of Michael O' Dwyer, the former lieutenant governor of the Punjab in India, on 13 March 1940. The assassination was in revenge for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar in 1919. Singh was subsequently tried and convicted of murder and hanged in July 1940. While in custody, he used the name Ram Mohammad Singh Azad, which represents the three major religions of Punjab and his ani-colonial sentiment.

Mao Zedong's Birth Anniversary

  

Mao Zedong, born on 26 December 1893, was a Chinese politician, Marxist theorist, military strategist, poet, and revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC). He led the country from its establishment in 1949 until his death in 1976, while also serving as the chairman of the Chinese Communist Party during that time. His theories, military strategies and policies are known as Maoism. 

Boxing Day Junkanoo

 

Junkanoo, named after the West African John Canoe Festival, originated in the Bahamas around the 17^th century as a masquerade. Slaves with their faces hidden under a flour paste, celebrated on Boxing Day and the day after Christmas. Later, flour paste was replaced by wire masks held on a stick.

This holiday was granted to slaves the day after Christmas, when they were given the boxes left over from their master's gifts. These boxes usually were sent from England and were well-crafted from fine wood. Hence the holiday is known as Boxing Day. Junkanoo parades take place on some islands to commemorate the day.

 

Foundation of the Kingdom of Hungary established in 1900

 

On 25 December 1000, the foundation of the Kingdom of Hungary: Hungary was established as a Christian kingdom by Stephen I of Hungary.

Stephen I, also known as King Saint Stephen, was the last Grand Prince of the Hungarians between 997 and 1000 or 1001, and the first King of Hungary from 1000 or 1001 until his death in 1038. The year of his birth is uncertain, but many details of his life suggest that he was born in or after 975 in Esztergom. At his birth, he was given the pagan name Vajk. The date of his baptism is unknown. He was the only son of Grand Prince Géza and his wife, Sarolt, who was descended from the prominent family of the gyulas. Although both of his parents were baptized, Stephen was the first member of his family to become a devout Christian. He married Gisela of Bavaria, a scion of the imperial Ottonian dynasty.

Chakravarti Rajagopalachari's Death Anniversary

 

Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, who passed away on 25 December 1972, was the last Governor-General of India, as India soon became a Republic in 1950. Furthermore, he was the first Indian-born governor-general, since before him the posts were held by British nationals. Rajagopalachari was also founder of the Swatantra Party — the first political party in India to openly espouse market-friendly economic policies — was born in Thorapalli village in the Madras Presidency. Known as ‘Rajaji’ to friends, family and admirers, he was a writer, politician, lawyer and minister, played an active role in the Indian independence movement, and was close to both Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi.