Today in History @ 15 Apr

Today in History @ 15-Apr

Famous birthdays today

a. 3rd Chief of the Air Staff of India from 1964 to 1969 and Marshal of the Indian Air Force, Arjan Singh (b. 1919). On 01 August 1964, he took over as the Chief of Air Staff in the rank of Air Marshal, which became the pinnacle of this career. Arjan Singh was the first Air Chief who kept his flying category till his CAS rank. For his distinguished service in commanding the IAF during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan. On 15 August 1947, he had the unique honour of leading the fly-past of over a hundred IAF aircraft over Delhi, over the Red Fort.

In recognition of his services, the Government of India conferred the rank of the Marshal of the Air Force onto Arjan Singh in January 2002 making him the first and the only 'Five Star' rank officer with the Indian Air Force.

b. Italian polymath Leonardo da Vinci (b. 1452). He was a legendary painter, sculptor, architect, draughtsman, theorist, engineer and scientist. His drawings, models and sketches show streaks of genius, vision and creativity. He conceptualized flying machines, a type of armored fighting vehicle, concentrated solar power, an adding machine and the double hull. He is also sometimes credited with the inventions of the parachute, helicopter, tank and many more.

His paintings are also legendary; needless to say, the famous ones are Mona Lisa and The Last Supper (the most reproduced paining of all times).

c. Swiss mathematician, physicist, astronomer, geographer, logician and engineer Leonhard Euler (b. 1707). He made important and influential discoveries in many branches of mathematics, such as infinitesimal calculus, graph theory, topology and analytic number theory. Amongst his many discoveries and developments, Euler is credited for popularizing: Greek letter π (lowercase pi) to denominate the Archimedes' constant, first to use the the term f(x) to describe a function's y-axis, the letter i to express the imaginary unit equivalent to √-1, and the Greek letter Σ (uppercase sigma) to express summations.

Euler is held to be one of the greatest mathematicians in history with recorded works in 92 volumes.

d. British novelist Jeffery Archer (b. 1940). Having written about 50 books, he has sold over 275 million copies worldwide.

Famous death anniversaries today

a. Indian medical scientist and researcher Sambhu Nath De, FRS, FRSM (d. 1985). His discovery that Vibrio cholerae secretes enterotoxin, a protein released by a microorganism that targets the intestine, is considered a milestone in the history of cholera research. This discovery not only changed the understanding of the disease significantly, but also allowed newer treatments and vaccines directly targeting this enterotoxin, to be developed quickly.?

b. American statesman and lawyer Abraham Lincoln (d. 1865) who was also the 16th President of The US. He led the nation through the American Civil War, the country's greatest moral, cultural, constitutional, and political crisis. He is consistently ranked as one of the greatest presidents in American history.

c. French philosopher and writer Jean Paul Sartre (d. 1980). He was one of the key figures in the philosophy of existentialism and phenomenology. He is one of the only 2 people to have refused the Nobel Prize.?

d. American economist Frank Knight (d. 1972). He spent most of his career at University of Chicago. Nobel laureates Milton Friedman, George Stigler and James M. Buchanan were all students of Knight.?

e. Swedish-American actress Greta Garbo (d. 1990). Generally regarded as one of the greatest screen actresses of all time, she was known for her melancholic, somber persona due to her many portrayals of tragic characters in her films and for her subtle and understated performances.

f. British businessman and shipbuilder Thomas Andrews (d. 1912). He was managing director and head of the drafting department of the shipbuilding company Harland and Wolff in Belfast, Ireland. He is best remembered for being the naval architect that was in charge of the plans for the ocean liner RMS Titanic, and was on board the ship during her maiden voyage. He perished along with more than 1500 others when the ship sank after hitting an iceberg.?

g. American business magnate, real estate developer and prominent member of the famous Astor family, John Jacob Astor (d. 1912). He was the richest passenger aboard the RMS Titanic.?

h. Indian banker Narendra Chandra Dutta (d. 1962). He is the founder of Comilla Banking Corporation and later the prime mover behind the incorporation of the United Bank of India.

Other famous events

a. 1755 Samuel Johnson's "A Dictionary of the English Language" published in London?

b. 1878 Harley Procter introduced Ivory Soap

c. 1892 General Electric Company formed by merger of Thomas Edison's General Electric Company with Thomson-Houston Electric Company, arranged by J. P. Morgan and incorporated in New York

d. 1896 1st modern Summer Olympic Games closed in Athens

e. 1912 RMS Titanic sank at 2:27 AM off Newfoundland

f. 1923 Insulin became generally available for diabetics

g. 1955 Ray Kroc opened first McDonald's Inc. first food restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois

#Mcdonald #Edison #Titanic #Euler #Jefferyarcher #todayinhistory #thisdayinhistory