Today in history @ 12 July

Famous birthdays today

a. Legendary Indian film director of socialistic films Bimal Roy (b. 1909). He was tthe ‘Silent Master of Indian Cinema’, ushered in the golden age of Indian Cinema in the 1940’s. A socially committed director, his films had the power to inspire and move audiences. ‘Do Bigha Zameen’?made 50 years ago is an eloquent portrait of displaced peasants, while ‘Sujata’?took up the ever-burning issue of caste struggle.

b. Longest-serving Chief Justice in India’s history, Y V Chandrachud (b. 1920). He served as the 16th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from 1978 to 1985. During his tenure as Chief Justice of India, he oversaw many landmark cases, one of which was? the “Kissa Kursi Ka” case, where Sanjay Gandhi was remanded to 30 days in judicial custody by the Supreme Court. It was this ruling that undid the perception that the judiciary had capitulated to political influence. During his time as a Supreme Court judge, he authored a total of 338 judgments. He authored the most judgments in 1977 (48).

c. Chilean poet, diplomat, and politician, Pablo Neruda (b. 1904). He won the?Nobel Prize?for Literature in 1971. He is perhaps the most important?Latin American?poet of the 20th century.

d. American entrepreneur, George Eastman (b. 1854). He founded the?Eastman Kodak?Company and helped to bring the photographic use of?roll film?into the mainstream. After a decade of experiments in photography, he patented and sold a roll film camera, making amateur photography accessible to the general public for the first time.

e. American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher, Henry David Thoreau (b. 1817).

f. Canadian physician, William Osler (b. 1849). He was one of the "Big Four" founding professors of?Johns Hopkins Hospital.?

g. Indian actor Vinay Pathak (b. 1968).

h. Renowned 20th century inventor and visionary?Buckminster Fuller (b. 1895). He developed numerous inventions, mainly architectural designs, and popularized the widely known?geodesic dome; carbon molecules known as?fullerenes?were later named by scientists for their structural and mathematical resemblance to geodesic spheres. He had 28 patents in the US.

i. Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar (b. 1965).

Famous death anniversaries

a. Indian actor and Dadasaheb Phalke awardee, Pran Krishan Sikand Ahluwalia (d. 2013). He was popularly known as Pran and he was known as one of the greatest?villains?ever in the history of?Indian cinema?and a character actor in?Hindi cinema?from the 1940s to the 1990s.

b. Indian Army legend, Sant Singh (b. 1921). He is one of the very few Indian military officials to have won the second highest wartime decoration “Maha Vir Chakra” twice.

c. Indian?professional wrestler,?actor,?director?and?politician, Dara Singh (d. 2012). He started acting in 1952 and was the first sportsman to be nominated to the Rajya Sabha.

d. English traveler, administrator in?Arabia, and writer Gertrude Bell (d. 1926). She spent much of her life exploring and mapping the?Middle East, and became highly influential to British imperial policy-making as an Arabist?due to her knowledge and contacts built up through extensive travels.?

e. Indian born British?film composer, James Michael Bernard (d. 2001). He was particularly associated with horror films produced by?Hammer Film Productions. His key contributions have been to “The Curse of Frankenstein”?and?“Dracula”.

f. Jubilee Star Padma Shri Rajendra Kumar (d. 1999).

g. American entrepreneur and academic, Amar Bose (d. 2013). An electrical engineer and?sound engineer, he was a?professor?at the?Massachusetts Institute of Technology?for over 45 years.?He was also the founder and chairman of?Bose Corporation.

h. British motoring and aviation pioneer, Charles Rolls (d. 1910). With?Henry Royce, he co-founded the?Rolls-Royce?car manufacturing firm. He was the first Briton to be killed in an aeronautical accident with a powered aircraft, when the tail of his?Wright Flyer?broke off during a flying display in?Bournemouth.?

i. Czech entrepreneur and founder of the Bata shoe company, Tomas Bata (d. 1932).

j. Norwegian writer, Henrik Arnold Thaulow Wergeland (d. 1845). He is most celebrated for his poetry but also a prolific playwright, polemicist, historian, and linguist. He is often described as a leading pioneer in the development of a distinctly Norwegian literary heritage and of modern Norwegian culture.

Famous events of the day

a. In 1861, William Goodale patented the paper-bag making machine.

b. In 1926, “Flying Finn” Pablo Nurmi created a world record in 4 X 1500.

c. In 1979, Kiribati Islands declared independence from UK.

d. In 1955, Enrique Iglesias released his first album.

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