31 March - Sir Isaac Newton death anniversary

 

 

Sir Isaac Newton ( 04 January 1642 – 31 March 1727) was an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author who was described in his time as a "natural philosopher". He was a key figure in the philosophical revolution known as the Enlightenment. His book Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy), first published in 1687, established classical mechanics. Newton also made seminal contributions to optics, and shares credit with German mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz for developing infinitesimal calculus.

Beyond his work on the mathematical sciences, Newton dedicated much of his time to the study of alchemy and biblical chronology, but most of his work in those areas remained unpublished until long after his death. Politically and personally tied to the Whig party, Newton served two brief terms as Member of Parliament for the University of Cambridge, in 1689–1690 and 1701–1702. He was knighted by Queen Anne in 1705 and spent the last three decades of his life in London, serving as Warden (1696–1699) and Master (1699–1727) of the Royal Mint, as well as president of the Royal Society (1703–1727).

Newton died in his sleep in London on 31 March 1727 .After his death, Newton's hair was examined and found to contain mercury, probably resulting from his alchemical pursuits. Mercury poisoning could explain Newton's eccentricity in late life

31 March - 14th Dalai Lama escaped from China in 1959

 

On 31 March 1959, the 14th Dalai Lama escaped from China, together with members of his family and his government. They fled the Chinese authorities, who were suspected of wanting to detain him. From Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, the Dalai Lama and his entourage traveled southwards to Tawang in India, where he was welcomed by the Indian authorities.

31 March - Calcutta GPO opened in 1774

 

The East India Company started establishing post offices in India. The East India company opened its first post office in 1727. In 1774 Calcutta GPO was established. The site where the GPO is now located was actually the site of the first Fort william. An alley beside the post office was the site of the guardhouse that housed the infamous 1756 Black Hole of Calcutta (1756). The General Post Office was designed in 1864 by Walter B. Grenville (1819-1874), who acted as consulting architect to the government of India from 1863 to 1868

31 March - Dr. Anandibai Gopalrao Joshi was born

 

 Dr. Anandibai Gopalrao Joshi (31 March 1865 – 26 February 1887) was the first Indian female doctor of western medicine. She was the first woman from the erstwhile Bombay presidency of India to study and graduate with a two-year degree in western medicine in the United States.She was also referred to as Anandibai Joshi and Anandi Gopal Joshi (where Gopal came from Gopalrao, her husband's first name). 

31 March - The last tram travelled on the streets of Mumbai

 

The first horse tram, begun on 9 May 1874 on two routes Colaba to Pydhonie via Crawford Market, and Bori Bunder to Pydhonie. It were drawn by two horses and some trams even by six to eight horses. The cost of riding the tram was one annas which had speed of 5 miles per hour.

Trams served the for almost 90 years. The Britishers proposed the project in 1864 and awarded the contract to the company – Stearns and Kitteredge in 1873.

The areas connected by tram was Grant Road, Pydhonie, Girgaum, Byculla bridge and Sassoon Dock. After the introduction of electric trams, the route was extended till King Circle. Dadar was the main tram terminus, till today it is known as Dadar T.T.


On 31st March 1964, the last tram traveled on the streets of Mumbai between Bori Bunder and Khodadad tram terminus (now Dadar T.T.). The last tram was scheduled at 10pm from Bori Bunder. To bid farewell large crowd gathered and the tram was packed to full capacity

31 March - General Kodendera Subayya Thimayya

General Kodendera Subayya Thimayya DSO (31 March 1906 – 18 December 1965) was a distinguished soldier of the Indian Army who served as Chief of Army Staff from 1957 to 1961 in the crucial years leading up to the conflict with China in 1962. Gen. Thimayya was the only Indian to command an Infantry brigade in battle during the Second World War and is regarded as the most distinguished combat officer the Indian Army has produced.[6] After the Korean War, Thimayya headed a United Nations unit dealing with the repatriation of prisoners of war. After his retirement from the Army, he was appointed Commander of the United Nations Peace Keeping Force in Cyprus from July 1964 to December 1965 and died in Cyprus while on active duty on 18 December 1965.