ALFRED NOBEL

On April 12, 1888, a French newspaper inadvertently published an obituary for him designating him "a merchant of death".

Alfred Nobel - (Born: 21 October 1833 – Died: 10 December 1896)  He was a Swedish chemist, engineer, innovator, and armaments manufacturer.   He was the inventor of dynamite. He also owned the world famous Bofors, a major manufacturer of cannon and other armaments. He held 350 different patents, dynamite being the most famous. He used his wealth to posthumously institute the Nobel Prizes.   The synthetic element nobelium was named after him.   On April 12, 1888, a French newspaper inadvertently published an obituary for him calling him "a merchant of death".   On 27 November 1895, Nobel signed his last will and testament setting aside the bulk of his estate to establish the Nobel Prizes, to be awarded annually without distinction of nationality.   The first three of these prizes are awarded for eminence in physical science, in chemistry and in medical science or physiology; the fourth is for literary work in an ideal direction and the fifth prize is to be given to the person or society that renders the greatest service to the cause of international fraternity and peace.           Click on the following links to see further details:

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SAFDAR HASHMI

April 12 - Birth Anniversary A symbol of cultural resistance against authoritarianism A Playwright, Actor, Director, Lyricist and Theorist

Safdar Hashmi - (Born: April 12, 1954 – Died: January 2, 1989) A symbol of cultural resistance against authoritarianism He was a Communist playwright, actor, director, lyricist, and theorist Founding member of Jana Natya Manch (People's Theatre Front; JANAM for short) in 1973 Master painter M F Husain joined the million-dollar club with his painting on Safdar Hashmi going under the hammer for over $1 million.   Institute for Research and Documentation in Social Sciences (IRDS), a Non-governmental organization from Lucknow has been awarding the Safdar Hashmi award for Human Rights in reverence to his contributions to the cause of Human rights. He was brutally murdered in Delhi while performing a street play, Halla Bol.   Click on the following links to see further details:

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YURI ALEXEIVICH GAGARIN

Apr-12 - YURI's NIGHT (a.k.a. WORLD SPACE DAY) On April 12,

Yuri Alexeivich Gagarin (Born: 9 March 1934 – Died: 27 March 1968)  - the first human to fly into the outer space.  Yuri's Night is an international celebration held every April 12 to commemorate milestones in space exploration. Yuri's Night is named for the first human to launch into space, Yuri Gagarin, who flew the Vostok 1 spaceship on April 12, 1961. STS-1, the first Space Shuttle mission, was launched exactly 20 years to the day of Vostok 1 on April 12, 1981. Yuri's Night is often called the "World Space Day". The goal of Yuri's Night is to increase public interest in space exploration and to inspire a new generation of explorers. He became one of the greatest international celebrities, and was awarded many medals and titles, including Hero of the Soviet Union, the nation's highest honour.    Click on the following links to see further details:

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SACHIN TENDULKAR

On April 12, 2005 He scored his ODI Century #38 (scoring 123 runs) at Ahmedabad, against Pakistan

BHARAT RATNA awardee Regarded as The Virtual God of Cricket in India His world record of scoring 100 centuries might take a century to break He scored his 100th international century on March 16, 2012.  In all Sachin scored 100 international centuries in his cricketing career; 51 in test matches and 49 in ODIs.  Click on the following links to see further details:

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CRICKET

April 12, 1976 - India beat West Indies by scoring a record 406 for 4 in the fourth innings of a test match at Port of Spain

April 12, 1976 - India beat West Indies by scoring a record 406 for 4 in the fourth innings of a test match at Port of Spain.  In the second innings Sunil Gavaskar and Vishwanath scored centuries while Mohinder Amarnath scored brave 85. India scored over 400 in 2nd innings to win this Test, a feat accomplished only once before - by Australia against England, at Headingley, in 1948. Click on the following links to see further details:

Sunil Gavaskar PROFILE     CROSSWORD     QUIZ     VIDEOS  Mohinder Amarnath PROFILE     CROSSWORD     QUIZ     VIDEOS

HIRAKUD DAM

April 12, 1948 - Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru laid the first batch of concrete

Hirakud Dam is built across the Mahanadi River, about 15 km from Sambalpur in the state of Odisha in India. Behind the dam extends a lake, Hirakud Reservoir, 55 km long. It is one of the first major multipurpose river valley projects started after India's independence. The main purpose of the Hirakud Dam was to check the massive floods that were affecting a large part of coastal Odisha. But, the construction of the dam greatly affected the natives of the western part of Odisha. Nearly 150,000 people were affected by the Hirakud project and nearly 22,000 families were displaced. On 15 Mar 1946, Sir Hawthrone Lewis, the Governor of Odisha, laid the foundation stone of the Hirakud Dam. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru laid the first batch of concrete on 12 April 1948. The dam was completed in 1953 and was formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on 13 January 1957. Its full potential was achieved in 1966. A commemorative stamp on Hirakud Dam was released on 29 Oct 1979 by the Department of Posts, with denomination Rs 0.30. A hundred rupee note was issued on 26 December 1960 by RBI, with an image of the Hirakud Dam and Hydro-Electric station on the back side. The dam regulates the flow of the Mahanadi River and produces hydroelectricity through several hydroelectric plants. The dam helps control floods in the Mahanadi delta and irrigates 75,000 square kilometres of land.  It drains an area of 133,090 km², more than twice the area of Sri Lanka. The amount of earth, concrete and masonry materials used to build the dam is sufficient to make a road 8 metres wide and pave it from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and from Amritsar to Dibrugarh in Assam. With successful irrigation provided by the dam, Sambalpur is called the rice bowl of Odisha. Click on the following links to see further details:

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S.P. MUTHURAJU (RAJKUMAR)

April 12 - Birth Anniversary

Singanalluru Puttaswamayya Muthuraju (24 April 1929 – 12 April 2006), known by his screen name Rajkumar He was an actor and singer in the Kannada film industry. He is considered a cultural icon of Kannada. In Karnataka, he is also known as:      Rajanna, Natasarvabhouma (emperor of acting),      Gaana Gandharva (singer in the court of Gods), and as      Annavru (beloved elder brother).    Click on the following links to see further details:

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MAHESH CHANDRA NYAYRATNA BHATTACHARYYA

April 12 - Death Anniversary A Great Scholar of Sanskrit

(22 February 1836 – 12 April 1906) Full name:  Mahamahopadhyay Pandit Mahesh Chandra Nyayratna Bhattacharyya  He was an Indian scholar of Sanskrit, and the principal of the Sanskrit College between 1876 and 1895. As a close associate of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, he played an important role in the Bengal Renaissance. He was one of the most eminent Bengalis in Kolkata of the 19th century.      Click on the following links to see further details:

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