Tintin's First Appearance as Comic Series in 1929

Ninety-five years have passed ever since Hergé gifted to the world his iconic cartoon character Tintin who along with his dog Snowy took his fans to exciting adventures all over the world.

On January 10, 1929, Belgian cartoonist Hergé, whose real name was Georges Remi, had published the first book in “The Adventures of Tintin” comic series, which soon became an evergreen classic, winning hearts of readers across the globe for ages.

In his debut story, Tintin in the Land of the Soviets, which first appeared as a series in French on January 10, 1929, in Le Petit Vingtième (The Little Twentieth), a youth supplement to the Belgian newspaper Le Vingtième Siècle (The Twentieth Century). the intrepid young reporter travels to Soviet Russia, exposing nefarious dealings by the Bolsheviks.

Since his inception in the early 20th century, Tintin has remained a popular literary figure with statues and commemorative murals of the character seen throughout Belgium. 

In addition to the original comic series, Tintin has appeared in numerous plays, radio shows, television shows, and feature films, including the 2011 film The Adventures of Tintin.  As per TinTin.com, Herge had once said “Tintin is me. My eyes, my feelings, my lungs, my guts!"

"I believe I am the only person able to animate him, the only person able to give him a soul," he had said.

The First Subway, The Metropolitan Railway, Opens in London in 1863

On January 10, 1863 the first subway system, the Metropolitan Railway, began operation in London. However, smoke from steam engines operating through tunnels caused discomfort for passengers, and limited the appeal of this mode of transport. Between 1863 to 1890 there were numerous proposals to build pneumatic or cable-hauled railways in London to overcome this problem, but none proved successful, until the system was electrified in the 1890s.

"The 3.75-mile (6 km) railway opened to the public on Saturday 10 January 1863. There were stations at Paddington (Bishops Road) (now Paddington), Edgware Road, Baker Street, Portland Road (now Great Portland Street), Gower Street (now Euston Square), King's Cross (now King's Cross St. Pancras) and Farringdon Street (now Farringdon).

"The railway was hailed a success, carrying 38,000 passengers on the opening day, using GNR [Great Northern Railway] trains to supplement the service. In the first twelve months 9.5 million passengers were carried and in the second twelve months this increased to 12 million. The original timetable allowed 18 minutes for the five intermediate stations. Off-peak service frequency was one train every fifteen minutes, increased to one every ten minutes during the morning peak and reduced to one every twenty minutes in the early mornings and after 8 pm. 

Montage of the Metropolitan Railway's stations from Illustrated London News, December 1862, the month before the railway opened

United Nations General Assembly meets for first time

 

On January 10, 1946, Zuleta Angel of Colombia called to order delegates from fifty-one nations. The historic gathering, held in London’s Central Hall, marked the first meeting of the General Assembly of the United Nations.

The January 10, 1946, meeting saw the election of Belgium’s Paul-Henri Spaak as the first President of the General Assembly.

World Hindi Day

Every year, World Hindi Day is celebrated on January 10 to honour the contributions of the Hindi speakers, the importance of the language and for making it adequately known all over the world.

In 1949, Hindi was spoken for the first time in the United Nations General Assembly. In 2006, the first Vishwa Hindi Diwas was observed by the then Prime Minister of the country – Dr. Manmohan Singh. Since then, January 10 has been observed as World Hindi Day everywhere.

Hindi is observed as the official language of the Indian Government and is also one of the official languages of the union of India, besides English. One of the best ways to celebrate World Hindi Day is by promoting the significance of the language and urging people to include Hindi in their speeches, performances, music and theatre arts. Hindi plays a major role in the cultural and linguistic landscape of the world – it is time to appreciate the beauty and the diversity of the language.

Narhar Vishnu Gadgil Birth Anniversary

Narhar Vishnu Gadgil, born on 10 January 1896, was an Indian freedom fighter and politician from Maharashtra, India.  He was also a writer.

Gadgil was also active in the Indian Independence struggle. A freedom fighter and lawyer, he was deeply inspired by the leadership of political leaders such as Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi, and Sardar Vallabhai Patel. 

Gadgil was a pioneer in social reform movements in Maharashtra in the 1930s. His most significant contribution is considered to be the inclusion of Maharashtra’s rural masses into the political mainstream of India. Gadgil developed a friendship with Keshavrao Jedhe, an idealistic Maratha freedom fighter, and the two became close political allies. It was this powerful Gadgil-Jedhe alliance that brought the non-Brahmins of Maharashtra into the civil disobedience movement of the 1930s on a mass scale.

As a scholar of Sanskrit and Marathi classic literature, Gadgil was also a prominent writer in Marathi and English. He authored several books and wrote articles on politics, economics, law, and history. He was elected president of the Marathi Sahitya Sammelan in 1962 held in Satara. His most lucid book on basic economics is addressed to ‘Gyanba’, the rural common man. Some of his popular works include Raja Shastra Vichar, Raja Vivhar Vichar, Shubha Shastra, Waktrutwa Shastra, Sabha Shaster, Shikhancha Itihaas (History of Sikhs), Prabodhini (Introduction to the Constitution), and Pathik, his autobiography, all in Marathi; Studies in Death Duties; Indian Budget; and miscellaneous essays. 

Challiyal John Matthai Birth Anniversary

Challiyal John Matthai, born on 10 January 1886, was an economist who served as India's first Railway Minister and subsequently as India's Finance Minister, taking office shortly after the presentation of India's first Budget, in 1948.

Matthai was one of the architects of the Bombay Plan, which was hailed by the then – Viceroy of India Lord Wavell as a solution to India’s economic problems.

Role in India’s Independence Movement

Matthai did not play an active role in the freedom struggle. Instead, he devoted himself to government service and academia. He was a member of the Viceroy's Executive Council, and later was part of the interim government. 

Contribution to Constitution Making

Mathai was elected to the Constituent Assembly from the United Provinces on a Congress party ticket. He delivered important clarifications in the debates related to taxing provisions. He supported fostering industrial development in the country.

Later Contributions

Post-Independence, he served as India’s first Railway Minister. After the presentation of the first budget in 1948, he was appointed as the Finance Minister. He presented two budgets between the years 1949-51, post which he resigned following protests regarding the vesting of huge powers in the hands of the erstwhile planning commission.

After his resignation, he was the chairman of two entities in succession: the Taxation Enquiry Committee, and the newly constituted State Bank of India. He then became the Vice Chancellor of Bombay University (1955-57), and later of Kerala University (1957-59). As a result of his contributions to the field of education and public service, he was conferred the Padma Vibhushan in 1959.

Key Writings

As an academic, Mathai was a keen writer with a number of publications. His most well-known writings include Prisons of our mind and the Roads to freedom, Village Government of British India, and India and the War. 

Dr. John Mattai (right) on the occasion of his retirement, with Dr. J.J. Bhabha (left) and Lady Navajbai Tata (grandmother of Ratan Tata, centre)