Jhaverchand Meghani Death Anniversary

  

Jhaverchand or Zaverchand Kalidas Meghani, who passed away on 9 March 1947, was an Indian poet, writer, social reformer and freedom fighter. He is a well-known name in the field of Gujarati literature. 

Yuri Gagarian Birth Anniversary

 

Yuri Gagarin, born on 9 March 1934, near Gzhatsk, Russia, U.S.S.R. [now Gagarin, Russia], was a Soviet cosmonaut who in 1961 became the first man to travel into space.

The son of a carpenter on a collective farm. Gagarin graduated as a molder from a trade school near Moscow in 1951. He continued his studies at the industrial college at Saratov and concurrently took a course in flying. On completing this course, he entered the Soviet Air Force cadet school at Orenburg, from which he graduated in 1957.

Gagarin’s 4 3/4-ton Vostok 1 spacecraft  was launched at 9:07 AM Moscow time on April 12, 1961, orbited Earth once in 1 hour 29 minutes at a maximum altitude of 187 miles (301 km), and landed at 10:55 AM in the Soviet Union. His spaceflight brought him immediate worldwide fame. He was awarded the Order of Lenin and given the titles of Hero of the Soviet Union and Pilot Cosmonaut of the Soviet Union. Monuments were raised to him, and streets were renamed in his honour across the Soviet Union.

Gagarin never went into space again but took an active part in training other cosmonauts. He made several tours to other nations following his historic flight, and from 1962 he served as a deputy to the Supreme Soviet. Gagarin was killed with another pilot in the crash of a two-seat jet aircraft while on what was described as a routine training flight. His ashes were placed in a niche in the Kremlin wall. After his death in 1968 the town of Gzhatsk was renamed Gagarin.

Devika Rani Death Anniversary

Devika Rani Chaudhuri, usually known as Devika Rani, who passed away on 9 March 1994, aged 85, was an actress in Indian films who was active during the 1930s and 1940s. Widely acknowledged as the first lady of Indian cinema, Devika Rani had a successful film career that spanned 10 years.

Her persona, no less than her film roles, were considered socially unconventional. Her awards include the Padma Shri (1958), Dadasaheb Phalke Award (1970) and the Soviet Land Nehru Award (1990).