James Watt Birth Anniversary

 

James Watt, born on 19 January 1736, was a Scottish instrument maker and inventor whose steam engine contributed substantially to the Industrial Revolution. Watt was also known for patenting the double-acting engine and an early steam locomotive. He was elected fellow of the Royal Society of London in 1785. A unit of measurement of electrical and mechanical power - the watt - is named in his honour.

Maharana Pratap Death Anniversary

Pratap Singh I, also known as Maharana Pratap, who passed away on 19 January, 1597, aged 56, Chawand, was the 13th king of Mewar, which is now part of the state of Rajasthan in northwestern India. He was recognised for his role in the Battle of Haldighati and Battle of Dewair and was dubbed as "Mewari Rana" for his military resistance to the Mughal Empire's expansionism. From 1572 until his death in 1597, he was the ruler of Sisodias of Mewar. Maharana Pratap is revered as one of the strongest warriors India has ever seen. Standing at 7 feet 5 inches, he would carry an 80-kilogram spear and two swords weighing around 208 kilograms in total. He would also wear an armour weighing 72 kilograms.

Sawai Gandharva Birth Anniversary

Sawai Gandharva, born on 19 January 1886, in Kundgol village near Dharwad in 1886 was a popular Hindustani Classical vocalist from Karnataka. His original name was Ramachandra Kundgolkar Samsi (‘Sawai Gandharva’ was a title he earned for his genius on the Marathi stage). Nobody in his family practised music but the child displayed a wonderful voice and a passion for music. His initial training in singing was from a local kirtankar.

He was a master in the genre of Kirana Gharana style. He was the first and foremost disciple of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan, and guru of Bharat Ratna laureate Pandit Bhimsen Joshi.

Ever the free-spirited artist, Sawai Gandharva entered the world of Marathi stage in 1907, against the will of his Guru. He became popular as a singer at the Marathi musical theatre playing both male and female roles with equal dexterity.

Sawai Gandharva is best known for popularizing the stylings of the Kirana Gharana through his accomplished disciples, including Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Dr. Gangubai Hangal, Firoz Dastur, and Basavaraj Rajguru.

Edgar Allan Poe Death Anniversary

 

Edgar Allan Poe, born on 19 January 1809, in Boston, Massachusetts, lived a life filled with tragedy. Poe was an American writer, considered part of the Romantic Movement, in the subgenre of Dark Romanticism. He Became an accomplished poet, short story writer, editor, and literary critic, and gained worldwide fame for his dark, macabre tales of horror, practically inventing the genre of Gothic Literature.

Poe was one of the earliest American writers to focus on the short story and is credited with inventing the detective fiction genre. But it is for his horror stories that he is world famous today, great short stories that are widely known, including; The Pit and the Pendulum, The Cask of Amontillado, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Black Cat, The Fall of the House of Usher, and The Purloined Letter are among his most popular short stories.

Poe published his work, an anonymous collection of poems, Tamerlane and Other Poems in 1827. Poe changed his focus to prose, and after many years of writing periodicals and journals he became known for his own style of literary criticism. All the while Poe moved around between Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York City.

Edgar Allan Poe’s epic poem The Raven, was published when he was in Baltimore in 1845, and became an instant success. Poe planned to produce his own journal, The Stylus, but he died in 1849 of unknown causes at the young age of 40, before he could make that project a reality.

Poe had many imitators, and after his death clairvoyants often claimed to “receive” Poe’s spirit and “channel” his poems and stories in attempts to cash-in on his fame and talent. The attempts to cash in on his fame was rather ironic considering Poe died penniless. His work also influenced science fiction, namely Jules Verne, who wrote a sequel to Poe’s novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket called An Antarctic Mystery.

Considered the quintessential American Gothic writer, Poe’s epic story, The Fall of the House of Usher (1839) reveals the tragedy of Rodrick Usher, who suffers from a variety of mental health disorders not even invented or named by modern psychology when Poe wrote about them: hyperethesia (sensory overload), hypochondria, and acute anxiety. It’s a stellar tale sure to disturb and delight the reader.