Maraimalai Adigal (15 July 1876 – 15 September 1950) was a Tamil orator and writer and father of Pure Tamil movement, who fervently followed Saivam. He wrote more than 100 books, including works on original poems tand dramas, but most famous are his books on his research into Tamil literature. Most of his literary works were on Saivism. He founded a Saivite institution called Podhunilaik Kazhagam. He was an exponent of the Pure Tamil movement and hence considered to be the father of Tamil linguistic purism. He advocated the use of Tamil devoid of Sanskrit words and hence changed his birth name Vedhachalam to Maraimalai.
Shark Awareness Day is observed on July 14 of every year. Sharks are at more risks from humans than the vice verse. Survival of many shark species is at high risk due to hunting, pollution, and climatic changes. Shark Awareness Day was created to spread awareness about the danger of sharks. Shark kills lesser humans than humans to sharks. There are around 400 species of sharks around the world and ranges from 8 inches to 50 feet in size. Sharks can detect the even small drop of blood in the ocean from a long distance, and they are the significant predator in the food chain which makes them a fascinating creature. Most species of sharks are carnivorous, feeding on fishes, crustaceans and even on seals and dolphins. Sharks are cunning hunters, but they are not picky in their eating habit. In spite of their strength and aggressiveness sharks population are continually declining due to various threats mainly because of humans. Sharks play a critical role in maintaining the food chain by removing all weak animals from the ocean and keeping the sea population healthy, and fit.
Shankarrao Bhavrao Chavan (14 July 1920 – 26 February 2004) was an Indian politician who served twice as Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 1975 until 1977 and from 13 March 1986 until 24 June 1988. He was Finance Minister of India from 1987 to 1990 and served as Home Minister of India in the P. V. Narasimha Rao cabinet from 21 June 1991 to 16 May 1996. He served as Home Minister of India in the Rajiv Gandhi cabinet 31 December 1984 to 12 March 1986.
Scottish Church College is a college of Calcutta University, India. It offers selective co-educational undergraduate and postgraduate studies and is the oldest continuously running Christian liberal arts and sciences college in India.It has been rated (A) by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council, an autonomous organization that evaluates academic institutions in India. Students and alumni call themselves "Caledonians" in the name of the college festival, "Caledonia".
The Scottish Church College was established on 13 July 1830, by Alexander Duff and Raja Ram Mohan Roy, in Calcutta, India.
Ernő Rubik born 13 July 1944 is a Hungarian inventor, architect and professor of architecture. He is best known for the invention of mechanical puzzles including Rubik's Cube (1974), Rubik's Magic, Rubik's Magic: Master Edition, and Rubik's Snake.
While Rubik became famous for inventing the Rubik's Cube and his other puzzles, much of his recent work involves the promotion of science in education. Rubik is involved with several organisations such as Beyond Rubik's Cube, the Rubik Learning Initiative and the Judit Polgar Foundation all of whose aim is to engage students in science, mathematics, and problem solving at a young age.
Jatindra Nath Das (27 October 1904 – 13 September 1929), also known as Jatin Das, was an Indian independence activist and revolutionary. He died in Lahore jail after a 63-day hunger strike.
He was born in 1904 at Calcutta. He joined the Anushilan Samiti, a revolutionary group in Bengal, at a young age and also participated in Gandhi's Non-Cooperation movement in 1921.
In Lahore jail, Das began a hunger strike along with other revolutionary fighters, demanding equality for Indian political prisoners with those from Europe. The conditions of Indian inhabitants of the jails was deplorable. The uniforms that Indian prisoners were required to wear in jail with were not washed for several days, and rats and cockroaches roamed the kitchen area making the food unsafe to eat. Indian prisoners were not provided with any reading material such as newspapers, nor paper to write on. The condition of the British prisoners in the same jail was strikingly different.
Das's hunger strike started on 13 July 1929 and lasted 63 days. The jail authority took measures to forcibly feed him and the other independence activist. Eventually, the jail committee recommended his unconditional release, but the government rejected the suggestion and offered to release him on bail.
Jatin died on 13 September 1929
Bimal Roy (12 July 1909 – 8 January 1966) was an Indian film director. He is particularly noted for his realistic and socialistic films such as Do Bigha Zamin, Parineeta, Biraj Bahu, Madhumati, Sujata, Parakh and Bandini, making him an important director of Hindi cinema.
He won a number of awards throughout his career, including eleven Filmfare Awards, two National Film Awards, and the International Prize of the Cannes Film Festival. Madhumati won 9 Filmfare Awards in 1958, a record held for 37 years.
A postage stamp, bearing his face, was released by India Post to honour him on 8 January 2007.
Independence Day is a public holiday in the African island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe on July 12th each year.
This is the National Day of São Tomé and Príncipe and commemorates the country's independence from Portugal on this day in 1975.
The first people to inhabit these two islands in the Gulf of Guinea were the Portuguese. The first landed on São Tomé, the larger of the two islands on December 21st (Saint Thomas' Day, hence the name) 1471.
They found the islands' rich volcanic soil a good basis to support sugar plantations. The plantations were manned by African slaves and 'undesirables' from Portugal.
In 1974, the so-called Carnation Revolution in Portugal brought an end to the dictatorial regime and also a new approach to its overseas territories.
São Tomé and Príncipe gained its independence from Portugal on July 21st 1975, making it the second-smallest country in Africa. The smallest is another island nation on the other side of the continent - Seychelles.
The Republic of Kiribati celebrates its Independence Day on July 12. It is the country’s national day that commemorates the independence of Kiribati from the United Kingdom in 1979.
Kiribati is a small island country in the central Pacific Ocean. In 1788, the British Captain Thomas Gilbert crossed the islands. They were later named the Gilbert Islands after him. Great Britain established its protectorate over the Gilbert Islands and the neighboring Ellice Islands in 1892.
In 1916, the Gilbert and Ellice Islands became a Crown colony. After WWII, the colony’s transition to self-determination began. The Ellice Island gained independence as Tuvalu, while the Gilbert Islands became the independent Republic of Kiribati on July 12, 1979.
Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah, Aga Khan III GCSI GCMG GCIE GCVO PC (02 November 1877 – 11 July 1957) was the 48th Imam of the Nizari Ismaili religion. He was one of the founders and the first permanent president of the All-India Muslim League (AIML). His goal was the advancement of Muslim agendas and protection of Muslim rights in India. The League, until the late 1930s, was not a large organisation but represented the landed and commercial Muslim interests of the British-ruled 'United Provinces' (as of today Uttar Pradesh).He shared Sir Syed Ahmad Khan's belief that Muslims should first build up their social capital through advanced education before engaging in politics. Aga Khan called on the British Raj to consider Muslims to be a separate nation within India, the so-called 'Two Nation Theory'. Even after he resigned as president of the AIML in 1912, he still exerted major influence on its policies and agendas. He was nominated to represent India to the League of Nations in 1932 and served as President of the League of Nations from 1937–38.
