Queen Victoria proclaimed Empress of India in 1877

On 1 January 1877, Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom was proclaimed Empress of India.

Empress of India was a title used by British monarchs from 1 May 1876 (with the Royal Titles Act 1876) to 22 June 1948, that was used to signify their rule over British India, as its imperial head of state. The image of the emperor or empress was used to signify British authority—his or her profile, for instance, appearing on currency, in government buildings, railway stations, courts, on statues etc. "God Save the King" (or, alternatively, "God Save the Queen") was the national anthem of British India. Oaths of allegiance were made to the emperor or empress and the lawful successors by the governors-general, princes, governors, commissioners in India in events such as imperial durbars.

Declaration by United Nations in 1942

On 1 January 1942, The Declaration by United Nations was signed by twenty-six nations.

Declaration by United Nations was the main treaty that formalized the Allies of World War II; the declaration was signed by 47 national governments between 1942 and 1945. On New Year's Day 1942, the Allied "Big Four" (the US, the UK, the USSR, and China) signed a short document which later came to be known as the United Nations Declaration and the next day the representatives of twenty-two other nations added their signatures.

United Kingdom Formed in 1801

 

 

On 1 January 1801, The Irish Parliament voted to join the Kingdom of Great Britain, forming the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

United Kingdom, island country located off the northwestern coast of mainland Europe. The United Kingdom comprises the whole of the island of Great Britain—which contains England, Wales, and Scotland—as well as the northern portion of the island of Ireland. The name Britain is sometimes used to refer to the United Kingdom as a whole. The capital is London, which is among the world’s leading commercial, financial, and cultural centres. Other major cities include Birmingham, Liverpool, and Manchester in England, Belfast and Londonderry in Northern Ireland, Edinburgh and Glasgow in Scotland, and Swansea and Cardiff in Wales.

Hank Williams Death Anniversary

Hiram "Hank" Williams, who passed away on 1 January 1953, was an American singer-songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century. Williams recorded 55 singles that reached the top 10 of the Billboard Country & Western Best Sellers chart, five of which were released posthumously, and 12 of which reached No.1.

The American singer, songwriter, and guitarist became country music’s first superstar in the 1950s. An immensely talented songwriter and an impassioned vocalist, he also experienced great crossover success in the popular music market. His iconic status was amplified by his death at age 29 and by his reputation for hard living and heart-on-the-sleeve vulnerability.

Rajyogini Dadi Janki Birth Anniversary

Rajyogini Dadi Janki, born on 1 January 1916, was an Indian spiritual leader. She headed the Brahma Kumaris movement, the world's largest spiritual organisation run by women.

Dadi Janki was 21 years old when she chose her spiritual path and became a founding member of Brahma Kumaris. Later in 1974, despite she spoke no English at the time, she moved to the United Kingdom to become an ambassador for the movement, and lived there for about 40 years.

Dadi Janki, administrative head of Brahma Kumaris, passed away at the age of 104 after a prolonged illness on 27 March 2020. Dadi Janki breathed her last at 2 am at a hospital in Mount Abu, Rajasthan.

Heinrich Hertz Death Anniversary

 

Heinrich Rudolf Hertz, passed away on 1 January 1894, was a German physicist who first conclusively proved the existence of the electromagnetic waves predicted by James Clerk Maxwell's equations of electromagnetism. He used a spark gap attached to an induction coil and a separate spark gap on a receiving antenna. When waves created by the sparks of coil transmitter were picked up by the receiving antenna sparks would jump its gap as well. The unit of frequency, cycle per second, was named the "hertz" in his honour.

Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar Death Anniversary

Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar, passed away on 1 January 1955, was an Indian colloid chemist, academic and scientific administrator. The first director-general of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), he is revered as the "father of research laboratories" in India. He was also the first Chairman of the University Grants Commission (India) (UGC).

He played an instrument role in the establishment of the National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) of India. His research contribution in the areas of magneto chemistry and physical chemistry of emulsion were widely recognized. In 1936, Dr. Bhatnagar was conferred with Order of British Empire (OBE).

Hasrat Mohani Birth Anniversary

 

Syed Fazl-ul-Hasan, known to the world as Hasrat Mohani, born on 1 January 1875, was an Indian activist, Freedom Fighter in the Indian independence movement, leader of All India Muslim League and a noted poet of the Urdu language. He coined the notable slogan Inquilab Zindabad in 1921. Together with Swami Kumaranand, he is regarded as the first person to demand complete independence for India in 1921 at the Ahmedabad Session of the Indian National Congress.

He was the only prominent Muslim of his generation to promote and champion the radical thinking of Tilak. He wrote strongly about him in his journal and also wrote many verses praising him, including the following at his demise: 

jab tak wo rahe dunya men rahe,ham sab ke dilon par zor unke,

ab rah ke bahisht men nizd-i-khud? 

hooron pe karenge raj Tilak

(So long as he lived he ruled our hearts, and now in Paradise,

Nearer to God, Tilak shall rule over the nymphs of paradise.)

A versatile writer and poet, some of Mohani’s publications include Kulliyat-e-Hasrat Mohani, Sharh-e-Deewan-e-Ghalib, Mushahidaat-e-Zindan, and Nikat-e-Sukhan.

A nationalist to the core, Maulana Hasrat Mohani once commented “My advice to my Muslim friends has always been to discard communalism once for all.”

Dr. Sampuranand Birth Anniversary

Dr. Sampurnanand, born on 1 January 1891, was a teacher and politician in Uttar Pradesh, India. He has served as the second Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh from 1954 to 1960. If single tenures in the office of the Uttar Pradesh Chief Ministers are only considered, then Dr. Sampurnanand had the longest stretch from 28 December 1954 to 7 December 1960, which is almost six years in the office. Dr. Sampurnanand, a scholar of Sanskrit and Hindi, succeeded Govind Ballabh Pant. His council of ministers numbered 28 and the educationist ruled Uttar Pradesh until 7 December 1960.

He was an eminent scholar and teacher of Sanskrit and astronomy. He was extremely interested in phalit Jyotish. Dr. Sampurnanand was also a fervent freedom fighter. He participated in the Non-cooperation Movement; edited Maryada, a Hindi monthly and also contributed to the National Herald.

Satyendra Nath Bose Birth Anniversary

Satyendra Nath Bose, born on 1 January 1894, was an Indian physicist specialising in theoretical physics. He is best known for his work on quantum mechanics in the early 1920s, providing the foundation for Bose–Einstein statistics and the theory of the Bose–Einstein condensate. A Fellow of the Royal Society, he was awarded India's second highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan in 1954 by the Government of India.

The class of particles that obey Bose Statistics, bosons, was named after Bose by Paul Dirac. 

A polymath, he had a wide range of interests in various fields, including physics, mathematics, chemistry, biology, mineralogy, philosophy, arts, literature, and music. He served on many research and development committees in India after independence. 

Mahadev Desai Birth Anniversary

Mahadev Desai, born on 1 January 1892, was an Indian independence activist and writer best remembered as Mahatma Gandhi's personal secretary. He has variously been described as "Gandhi's Boswell, a Plato to Gandhi's Socrates, as well as an Ananda to Gandhi's Buddha".

He is highly regarded as a translator and writer in Gujarati. He wrote several biographies such as Antyaj Sadhu Nand (1925), Sant Francis (1936), Vir Vallabhbhai (1928) and Be Khudai Khidmatgar (1936) which was a biography of Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan and his brother Khan Abdul Jabbar Khan. He was also a regular contributor to Gandhi’s publications Young India, Navjivan and the Harijanbandhu. He wrote several works in English including Gandhiji in Indian Villages (1927), With Gandhiji in Ceylon (1928), and The Story of Bardoli (1929).

 

Happy New Year

 

As the clock strikes midnight and fireworks light up the sky, people around the world come together to welcome the New Year on January 1. The start of a new year represents joy, strength and optimism for a better future.

January 1 was first observed as the start of the new year in 45 BC. Before that, the Roman calendar began in March and lasted 355 days. After coming to power Julius Caesar changed the calendar. In part to honour the month's namesake, Janus the Roman God of Beginnings whose two faces allowed him to look forward into the future as well as backwards into the past, made January 1 the first day of the year.

However, it wasn't widely accepted in Europe until well into the middle of the 16th century. After the introduction of Christianity, December 25, the day of Jesus' birth, was accepted and January 1 the start of the new year, was considered heathen. It wasn't until Pope Gregory changed the Julian calendar to make January 1 the official start of the year that it became accepted.