1907 – India’s longest serving Cabinet Minister, Sardar Swaran Singh Purewal was born. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru included him in his cabinet in 1952 while he was serving as the Home Minister of Punjab. From then on, Sardar Swaran Singh took responsibilities as Minister for Works, Housing and Supplies(1952–57), Steel, Mines and Fuel(1957–62), Agriculture(1962), Railways(1962–63), External Affairs(1964–66 and 1970-74) and Defense(1966–70 and 1974–76). During the Emergency in 1976, Sardar Swaran Singh was the chairman of the committee that studied the question of amending the Constitution of India. The Committee recommended several changes including the Preamble through the ‘The Constitution (Forty Second Amendment) Act’, 1976 passed by the Parliament on November 2nd, 1976. Sardar Swaran Singh was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan in 1992.
1910 – First canonized Indian Catholic Saint, Saint Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception was born. She was elevated to sainthood by Pope Benedict XVI in October 2008. Her tomb in Bharananganam, Kerela has become a pilgrimage site for devotees who have reported miracles.
1918 – Ninth President of India, Dr.Shankar Dayal Sharma was born. Dr.Sharma was involoved in the struggle for freedom and joined the Indian National Congress. He became the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh in 1952.He served as the Vice-President of India from 1987 to 1992.On 25th July,1992 Dr.Shankar Dayal Sharma was sworn in as the 9th President of India. In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the legal profession internationally and for commitment to the rule of law Dr.Sharma was presented with the ‘Living Legends of Law Award’.
1982 – Noted Indian Astronomer and Father of modern Indian Astronomy Dr. M.K. Vainu Bappu passed away. He is credited with the establishment of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics and several other astronomical institutions in India including the Vainu Bappu Observatory-named so in his honor. Dr. Vainu Bappu along with two of his colleagues, Dr. Bart J. Bok and Dr. Gordon A. Newkirk discovered the ‘Bappu-Bok-Newkirk’ comet for which the Astronomical Society of the Pacific awarded him the Donhoe-Comet medal in 1949.In 1957,Dr. Bapu along with Dr. Olin Chaddock Wilson published a paper describing what is now known as the ‘Wilson-Bappu effect’ which opened up the field of stellar chromospheres for research. Dr. Vainu Bappu served as the Vice-President of the International Astronomical Union (1967-73) and as the President in 1979.
1907 – India’s longest serving Cabinet Minister, Sardar Swaran Singh Purewal was born. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru included him in his cabinet in 1952 while he was serving as the Home Minister of Punjab. From then on, Sardar Swaran Singh took responsibilities as Minister for Works, Housing and Supplies(1952–57), Steel, Mines and Fuel(1957–62), Agriculture(1962), Railways(1962–63), External Affairs(1964–66 and 1970-74) and Defense(1966–70 and 1974–76). During the Emergency in 1976, Sardar Swaran Singh was the chairman of the committee that studied the question of amending the Constitution of India. The Committee recommended several changes including the Preamble through the ‘The Constitution (Forty Second Amendment) Act’, 1976 passed by the Parliament on November 2nd, 1976. Sardar Swaran Singh was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan in 1992.
1910 – First canonized Indian Catholic Saint, Saint Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception was born. She was elevated to sainthood by Pope Benedict XVI in October 2008. Her tomb in Bharananganam, Kerela has become a pilgrimage site for devotees who have reported miracles.
1918 – Ninth President of India, Dr.Shankar Dayal Sharma was born. Dr.Sharma was involoved in the struggle for freedom and joined the Indian National Congress. He became the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh in 1952.He served as the Vice-President of India from 1987 to 1992.On 25th July,1992 Dr.Shankar Dayal Sharma was sworn in as the 9th President of India. In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the legal profession internationally and for commitment to the rule of law Dr.Sharma was presented with the ‘Living Legends of Law Award’.
1982 – Noted Indian Astronomer and Father of modern Indian Astronomy Dr. M.K. Vainu Bappu passed away. He is credited with the establishment of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics and several other astronomical institutions in India including the Vainu Bappu Observatory-named so in his honor. Dr. Vainu Bappu along with two of his colleagues, Dr. Bart J. Bok and Dr. Gordon A. Newkirk discovered the ‘Bappu-Bok-Newkirk’ comet for which the Astronomical Society of the Pacific awarded him the Donhoe-Comet medal in 1949.In 1957,Dr. Bapu along with Dr. Olin Chaddock Wilson published a paper describing what is now known as the ‘Wilson-Bappu effect’ which opened up the field of stellar chromospheres for research. Dr. Vainu Bappu served as the Vice-President of the International Astronomical Union (1967-73) and as the President in 1979.