First Autogiro Flight in 1923

On January 9, 1923, after four years of experimentation, Juan de la Cierva, (1895-1936), the self-taught Spanish aeronautical engineer developed the articulated rotor, to his invention of the autogiro, which resulted in the world's first successful flight of a stable rotary-wing aircraft, with his C.4 prototype. The first autogiro flight was piloted by Alejandro Gomez Spencer at Cuatro Vientos airfield in Madrid, Spain. 

Juan de la Cierva’s invention of the autogiro in 1920, a single-rotor type of aircraft in which lift is provided by a freely rotating rotor served as the forerunner of the helicopter. This technical breakthrough was necessary for the successful development of the helicopter, which ironically, replaced the autogiro around the time of World War II. 

Vrindavan Lal Verma Birth Anniversary

Vrindavan Lal Verma, born on 9 January 1889, was a Hindi novelist and playwright. He was honoured with Padma Bhushan for his literary works; Agra University presented him with honorary D. Lit. He received Soviet Land Nehru Award and the government of India also awarded him for his novel, Jhansi Ki Rani.

Har Gobind Khorana Birth Anniversary ?

Har Gobind Khorana, believed to be born on 9 January 1922, was an Indian-American biochemist. While on the faculty of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, he shared the 1968 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine with Marshall W. Nirenberg and Robert W. Holley for research that showed the order of nucleotides in nucleic acids, which carry the genetic code of the cell and control the cell's synthesis of proteins. Khorana and Nirenberg were also awarded the Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize from Columbia University in the same year.

Sir William James Herschel Birth Anniversary

Sir William James Herschel, born on 9 January 1833, was a British ICS officer in India who used fingerprints for identification on contracts.

The English first began using fingerprints in July of 1858, when Sir William Herschel had Rajyadhar Konai, a local businessman, impress his hand print on the back of a contract. The native was suitably impressed, and Herschel made a habit of requiring palm print on every contract made with the locals.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

 

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) is celebrated on January 9 every year to mark the contribution of the Overseas Indian community to the development of India. January 9 was chosen as the day to celebrate the occasion because on this day in 1915, Mahatma Gandhi, the greatest Pravasi, returned to India from South Africa. After his return, he led India’s freedom struggle and shaped the history of India. The objective of PBD is to strengthen the engagement of the overseas Indian community with the Government of India and reconnect them with their roots.

The decision to celebrate Pravasi Bharatiya Divas was taken in accordance with recommendations of the High Level Committee (HLC) on the Indian Diaspora set up by government of India under the chairmanship of L.M. Singhvi. The then Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, received the report of the Committee at a public function at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi on 8 January 2002, and announced the "Pravasi Bharatiya Divas" (PBD) on 9 January 2002. The day was chosen to mark the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to India in 1915.

The occasion is marked by special programs to recognise the contributions of NRI/PIO individuals of exceptional merit, felicitate NRI/PIO individuals who have made exceptional contributions in their chosen field/profession (Pravasi Bharatiya Samman (Hindi: NRI/PIO Award)) and provide a forum to discuss issues and concerns of people of the diaspora. The event has been organised every year since 2003, and is sponsored by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs and the CII (Confederation of Indian Industry), initially sponsored by FICCI.