Negotiations for the hijacked Indian Airlines Flight 814 concluded in 1999

 

On 31 December 1999, Negotiations for the hijacked Indian Airlines Flight 814 concluded.

When Indian Airlines Flight 814 took off from Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport on December 24, 1999, it was the beginning of a week-long nightmare for not just the passengers on board but their families in India and elsewhere as well. After it entered Indian airspace at around 5.30 p.m., the aircraft was hijacked by gunmen — and the Indian government faced a crisis situation as a shocked nation watched the dramatic events unfold.

Eventually, when negotiations between the hijackers and Indian authorities concluded on December 31, the passengers were released — but India had to pay a heavy price.

After hijacking the plane the gunmen threatened to blow it up and ordered Captain Devi Sharan to fly over Lucknow and head towards Lahore in Pakistan. But as there was insufficient fuel the hijackers agreed to the plane’s landing in Amritsar.

Indian authorities initially wanted the plane to stay in Amritsar and a fuel tanker was sent to block its path. But the hijackers ordered the plane to take off without refueling.

With the fuel nearly finished, the plane landed in Lahore where it was refueled and allowed to fly off.

Karl Benz filed for a patent on his first reliable two-stroke gas engine in 1878

 

On 31 December 1878, Karl Benz, working in Mannheim, Germany, filed for a patent on his first reliable two-stroke gas engine. He was granted the patent in 1879.

A two-stroke, engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being completed in one revolution of the crankshaft. A four-stroke engine requires four strokes of the piston to complete a power cycle during two crankshaft revolutions. In a two-stroke engine, the end of the combustion stroke and the beginning of the compression stroke happen simultaneously, with the intake and exhaust (or scavenging) functions occurring at the same time.

Thomas Edison demonstrated incandescent lighting to the public for the first time in 1879

 

On 31 December 1879, Thomas Edison demonstrated incandescent lighting to the public for the first time, in Menlo Park, New Jersey.

An incandescent lamp is an electric light with a wire filament heated until it glows. The filament is enclosed in a glass bulb with a vacuum or inert gas to protect the filament from oxidation. Current is supplied to the filament by terminals or wires embedded in the glass. A bulb socket provides mechanical support and electrical connections.

Robert Boyle's Death Anniversary

 

Robert Boyle, who passed away on 31 December 1691, was an Anglo-Irish natural philosopher, chemist, physicist, alchemist and inventor. Boyle is largely regarded today as the first modern chemist, and therefore one of the founders of modern chemistry, and one of the pioneers of modern experimental scientific method. He is best known for Boyle's law, which describes the inversely proportional relationship between the absolute pressure and volume of a gas, if the temperature is kept constant within a closed system. Among his works, The Sceptical Chymist is seen as a cornerstone book in the field of chemistry. He was a devout and pious Anglican and is noted for his writings in theology.

Marie Curie received her 2nd Nobel Prize in 1911

 

On 31 December 1911, Marie Curie received her 2nd Nobel Prize.

Marie Curie, was a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, is the only woman to win the Nobel Prize twice, and is the only person to win the Nobel Prize in two different scientific fields. She was part of the Curie family legacy of five Nobel Prizes. She was also the first woman to become a professor at the University of Paris, and in 1995 became the first woman to be entombed on her own merits in the Panthéon in Paris.

Shrilal Shukla's Birth Anniversary

 

Shrilal Shukla, born on 31 December 1925, was a Hindi writer, notable for his satire. He worked as a PCS officer for the state government of Uttar Pradesh, later inducted into the IAS. He has written over 25 books, including Raag Darbari, Makaan, Sooni Ghaati Ka Sooraj, Pehla Padaav and Bisrampur Ka Sant.