National Go Fishing Day (United States)

National Go Fishing Day (United States) on June 18 encourages us to drop a line - in the nearest stream, pond, lake, or river. It's' time to take a break from our daily routine, bait a hook and catch some fish while enjoying the outdoors on your relaxing endeavour.

This day has been celebrated since the 1950s, when it was created as an opportunity for people of all ages and backgrounds to come together and enjoy a peaceful day on the water. It's also a great way to learn about conservation, sustainability, ecology, wildlife management and our aquatic ecosystems.

Mahatma Gandhi relocates the Satyagraha Ashram in 1917

On June 17, 1917, Mahatma Gandhi relocated the Satyagraha Ashram to a 36-acre site on the banks of the Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. This new location, known as Sabarmati Ashram, became a significant centre for India's freedom struggle and Gandhi's various experiments in living, including farming and animal husbandry.

Here's a more detailed look:

Initial Location

Gandhi's first ashram in India was established in May 1915 at the Kocharab Bungalow in Ahmedabad. 

Relocation

Gandhi sought a larger space for activities like farming and animal husbandry, leading to the move to the Sabarmati River location on June 17, 1917. 

Significance

The Sabarmati Ashram served as Gandhi's home from 1917 to 1930 and was a key location for the Indian independence movement. 

Dandi March

It was from here, on March 12, 1930, that Gandhi launched the famous Dandi March to protest the British Salt Law. 

Legacy

The Ashram now houses a museum and serves as a reminder of Gandhi's philosophy of truth, non-violence, and self-sufficiency.

 

Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman in space, in 1963

 

On June 16, 1963, aboard Vostok 6, Soviet Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman to travel into space. After 48 orbits and 71 hours, she returned to earth, having spent more time in space than all U.S. astronauts combined to that date.

Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova was born to a peasant family in Maslennikovo, Russia, in 1937. She began work at a textile factory when she was 18, and at age 22 she made her first parachute jump under the auspices of a local aviation club. Her enthusiasm for skydiving brought her to the attention of the Soviet space program, which sought to put a woman in space in the early 1960s as a means of achieving another “space first” before the United States. As an accomplished parachutist, Tereshkova was well equipped to handle one of the most challenging procedures of a Vostok space flight: the mandatory ejection from the capsule at about 20,000 feet during re-entry. In February 1962, she was selected along with three other woman parachutists and a female pilot to begin intensive training to become a cosmonaut.

In 1963, Tereshkova was chosen to take part in the second dual flight in the Vostok program, involving spacecrafts Vostok 5 and Vostok 6. On June 14, 1963, Vostok 5 was launched into space with cosmonaut Valeri Bykovsky aboard. With Bykovsky still orbiting the earth, Tereshkova was launched into space on June 16 aboard Vostok 6. The two spacecrafts had different orbits but at one point came within three miles of each other, allowing the two cosmonauts to exchange brief communications. Tereshkova’s spacecraft was guided by an automatic control system, and she never took manual control. On June 19, after just under three days in space, Vostok 6 reentered the atmosphere, and Tereshkova successfully parachuted to earth after ejecting at 20,000 feet. Bykovsky and Vostok 5 landed safely a few hours later.

After her historic space flight, Valentina Tereshkova received the Order of Lenin and Hero of the Soviet Union awards.

 

Fall of Danish Flag from the sky in 1219

 

The national flag of Denmark is called the Dannebrog. Legend has it that the Dannebrog fell from the sky in Estonia on 15 June 1219.

Dannebrog means "Danish cloth" or "well made material".

The national flag of Denmark is red with a white Nordic cross, which means that the cross extends to the edges of the flag and the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side.

A banner with a white-on-red cross is attested as having been used by the kings of Denmark since the 14th century. An origin legend with considerable impact on Danish national historiography connects the introduction of the flag to the Battle of Lyndanisse (now Tallinn) of 1219. The elongated Nordic cross, which represents Christianity, reflects its use as a maritime flag in the 18th century. The flag became popular as a national flag in the early 16th century. Its private use was outlawed in 1834 but again permitted by a regulation of 1854. The flag holds the world record of being the oldest continuously used flag, that is since 1625.

A commemorative postage stamp of Denmark from the Anniversaries and Events 1969 series depicts the Fall of Danish Flag. The postage stamp issued on 12 June 1969 is 24 x 31 mm in size and at 60 øre - Danish øre face value. It had a print run of 22,675, 000. The designers are Czeslaw Slania (E) and Povl Christensen.

Fakir Mohan Senapati's Death Anniversary

Fakir Mohan Senapati, who passed away on 14 June 1918, aged 75, in Balasore, Odisha, was an Indian writer, poet, philosopher and social reformer. He is often referred to as Utkala Byasa Kabi (Odisha’s Vyasa). He is regarded as the father of Odia nationalism and modern Odia literature. He played a leading role in establishing the distinct identity of Odia language. He is known to have introduced novel writing, short story, and autobiography genres in Odia literature. Chha Maana Atha Guntha (translating into English as ‘Six Acres and a Third’) is the first Indian novel written by him in Odia to deal with the exploitations of landless peasants by the feudal Lord. It was written much before the October revolution of Russia or much before the emerging of Marxist ideas in India. His “Rebati” (1898) is widely recognized as the first Odia short story. He wrote a long poem, Utkala Bhramanam, that first appeared in 1892.

World Wide Knit in Public Day

 

World Wide Knit in Public Day was started in 2005 by Danielle Landes and takes place on the second Saturday of June each year. It began as a way for knitters to come together and enjoy each other's company.

Knit in Public Day is the largest knitter run event in the world. Each local event is put together by a volunteer or a group of volunteers. They bring their own fresh ideas into planning where the event should be held, and what people would like to do.

In the past, some people have used this event as a means to show the general public that "not only grannies knit". Knit in Public Day is about showing the general public that knitting can be a community activity in a very distinct way. In some places, there are many different knitting groups that never interact with each other, except on Knit in Public Day when they come together in one place, making them hard to miss.

In 2005, there were about 25 local events around the world. In 2006, there were about 70 local events, and in 2007, there were almost 200.

Over the years there have been local events in Australia, China, Serbia, England, Finland, France, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Slovenia, South Africa, Sweden, United States, Canada, and Germany.

Sir Ram Nath Chopra's Death Anniversary

 

Sir Ram Nath Chopra CIE, IMS who passed away on 13 June 1973, aged 90, in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India, was an Indian Medical Service offer and doyen of science and medicine of India. He is considered the "Father of Indian Pharmacology” for his work on pharmaceuticals and his quest for self-sufficiency of India in drugs through the experimental evaluation of indigenous and traditional drugs. After service in the army, he established a research laboratory where he worked as a professor of Pharmacology at the Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine which was established in 1921. He also served as the director of this institute from the year 1935 to 1941.

Chopra was born in Gujranwala. His father Raghu Nath was a government official. After school in Lahore he went to the Government College there and then went to England in 1903 and studied at the Downing College, Cambridge. In 1905 he qualified in the Natural Sciences Tripos and was admitted BA. He received a B.Chir in 1908 and an MA in 1909. He worked under Walter E. Dixon, professor of the newly established position in pharmacology. He was inspired by the experimental approaches in pharmacology. While at St. Bartholomew's Hospital in London, Chopra wrote the examination for the Indian Medical Service and stood third in it. Chopra was commissioned a lieutenant in the Indian Medical Service on 1 August 1908 and promoted to captain on 1 August 1911. He saw active service in East Africa and in the Afghan War of 1919. He was promoted to the temporary rank of major on 7 May 1919 and confirmed in the substantive rank on 1 August 1920, (back-dated to 1 February 1920). In 1922 he was appointed Professor of Pharmacology at the Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine which had been established the year before. He took a special interest in indigenous drugs and noted that a key aim for India should be self-sufficiency in drug resources. He conducted pioneering studies on herbal remedies including Rauvolfia serpentina. He headed a Drugs Enquiry Committee of 1930–31 which examined the need for imports, control and legislation.

Chopra took an interest in public health. He was invested as a Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE) in the 1934 New Year Honours list and knighted in the 1941 New Year Honours list. Government of India issued a postal stamp on his 101st birth anniversary with a denomination of Fifty paise^.