31 August - Wilhelmina of the Netherlands birth anniversary

 

Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria; (31 August 1880 – 28 November 1962) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1890 until her abdication in 1948. She reigned for nearly 58 years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Her reign saw the First and the Second World Wars, as well as the Dutch economic crisis of 1933.

The only child of King William III of the Netherlands and Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont, Wilhelmina ascended to the throne on 23 November 1890 at the age of 10 after her father's death , under her mother's regency. After taking charge of government, Wilhelmina was generally popular for maintaining Dutch neutrality during the First World War and solving many of her country's industrial problems. By that time, her business ventures made her the world's first female billionaire in dollars. She ensured that her family was one of seven European royal houses remaining in existence.

Following the German invasion of the Netherlands in 1940, Wilhelmina fled to Britain and took charge of the Dutch government-in-exile. She frequently spoke to the nation over radio and came to be regarded as a symbol of the resistance.By 1948, she had already returned to the liberated Netherlands and was the only survivor of the 16 monarchs who were sitting on their thrones at the time of her coronation.Increasingly beset by poor health, Wilhelmina abdicated in favour of her daughter Juliana in September 1948 and retired to Het Loo Palace, where she died in 1962.

30 August - Victory Day Turkey

 

Victory Day , also known as Turkish Armed Forces Day is a public holiday in Turkey commemorating the decisive victory in the Battle of Dumlupınar, on 30 August 1922. It is also observed by Northern Cyprus.The day also honours the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

Following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I, Turkey was occupied by allied forces. This led to the start of the Turkish War of Independence in 1919, with the Turkish forces led by General Mustafa Kemal. The battle of Dumlupinar took place in Kütahya province in western Turkey.

The stamp shown is a special stamp issued on 30th August 2018 to commemorate the 96th Victory Day of Turkey. The stamp was issued with the denomination of 2 Turkish liras and depicts a collage of moments of Turkish Was of Independence.

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29 August - National Sports Day

National Sports Day in India, celebrated on August 29th, commemorates the birth anniversary of Major Dhyan Chand, one of the most iconic figures in Indian sports history. Known as the "Wizard of Hockey," Dhyan Chand's extraordinary skill and leadership helped India secure three consecutive Olympic gold medals in 1928, 1932, and 1936, solidifying the nation's dominance in field hockey during that era. His legacy continues to inspire athletes across the country.

The day is not only a tribute to Major Dhyan Chand's contributions but also a celebration of the importance of sports in fostering a healthy and active lifestyle. Across the country, various events, including sports competitions, fitness programs, and awareness campaigns, are organized to encourage people, especially the youth, to engage in physical activities. The President of India also presents prestigious sports awards like the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award, and Dronacharya Award to outstanding athletes and coaches in a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

National Sports Day serves as a reminder of the critical role sports play in nation-building, promoting unity, and developing a strong, disciplined, and health-conscious society. The day reinforces the belief that sports are not just about competition but also about instilling values, building character, and enhancing the overall quality of life.

29 August - Andrew Fisher birth anniversary

Andrew Fisher (29 August 1862 – 22 October 1928) was an Australian politician who served three separate terms as Prime Minister of Australia – from 1908 to 1909, from 1910 to 1913, and from 1914 to 1915. He was the leader of the Australian Labor Party from 1907 to 1915.

Fisher contracted a severe case of influenza in September 1928, and eventually succumbed to complications of the disease on 22 October, aged 66.He is one of only three Australian prime ministers to die overseas, and he and George Reid are the only ones who both began and ended their lives outside Australia.

Source : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Fisher

28 August - National Bow Tie Day

 

August the 28th is National Bow Tie Day. If you’re a fan of a neck tie why not jazz things up a bit and wear a bow tie to celebrate this occasion!

The first bow ties allegedly appeared in the early 17th Century in France, when French soldiers brought cravats to their homeland at the end of the Thirty Years War. The garments are based upon the Croation Soldiers neck tie, which was designed to keep the collars of the shirts together.

National Bow Tie Day is commemorated on August 28 every year. A bow tie is usually more than the regular necktie that is worn by the men for formal occasions. They are an essential part of men’s fashion. National Bow Tie Day is celebrated as to honour those men who are timelessly honouring the bow tie. You can wear a Bow Tie to celebrate the more joyfully.

26 August - Mother Teresa born in 1910

 

Mother Teresa (26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), honoured in the Catholic Church as Saint Teresa of Calcutta,was an Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun and missionary.She was born in Skopje (now the capital of North Macedonia), then part of the Kosovo Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire. After living in Skopje for eighteen years, she moved to Ireland and then to India, where she lived for most of her life.

Mother Teresa was the founder of the Order of the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic congregation of women dedicated to helping the poor. Considered one of the 20th Century's greatest humanitarians, she was canonized as Saint Teresa of Calcutta in 2016.

Nun and missionary Mother Teresa, known in the Catholic church as Saint Teresa of Calcutta, devoted her life to caring for the sick and poor. Born in Macedonia to parents of Albanian-descent and having taught in India for 17 years, Mother Teresa experienced her "call within a call" in 1946. Her order established a hospice; centers for the blind, aged and disabled; and a leper colony. 

In 1979, Mother Teresa received the Nobel Peace Prize for her humanitarian work. She died in September 1997 and was beatified in October 2003. In December 2015, Pope Francis recognized a second miracle attributed to Mother Teresa, clearing the way for her to be canonized on September 4, 2016.

26 August - Women’s Equality Day - USA

 

Women's Equality Day is celebrated in the United States on August 26 to commemorate the 1920 adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment (Amendment XIX) to the United States Constitution, which prohibits the states and the federal government from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex. It was first celebrated in 1972, designated by Congress in 1973, and is proclaimed each year by the United States President.

25 August - Baba Gurdit Singh born in 1860

 

Baba Gurdit Singh (25 August 1860 – 24 July 1954) was the central figure in the Komagata Maru incident of 1914, one of several incidents in the history of early 20th century involving exclusion laws in both Canada and the United States designed to keep out immigrants of only Asian origin.

Singh was born in 1860 at Sarhali, in Amritsar District of British Punjab province (India). In 1914 he chartered a Japanese ship, the Komagata Maru, to go to Canada, reaching Vancouver on 23 May 1914. The government did not allow the ship to anchor and the ship was attacked by the police at night. The attack was repulsed by the passengers and it created a great stir among Indians in Canada

Issued on the first day of Asian Heritage Month, this stamp commemorates the struggle of the Komagata Maru passengers and celebrates the contribution of the South Asian community, and indeed all Asian Canadians, to Canada’s diversity and prosperity.Ahead of the 100th-year anniversary of the Komagata Maru incident in Vancouver, which began on May 23, 1914, Canada Post has unveiled a new stampthat commemorates one of the nation’s historical black spots.

25 August - Belarus declared independence in 1991

 

Belarus officially the Republic of Belarus and formerly known as Byelorussia or Belorussia, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe.It is bordered by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital and most populous city is Minsk. Over 40% is forested. Its major economic sectors are service industries and manufacturing.Until the 20th century, different states at various times controlled the lands of modern-day Belarus, including Kievan Rus', the Principality of Polotsk (11th to 14th centuries), the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Russian Empire.

In the aftermath of the 1917 Russian Revolution, different states arose competing for legitimacy amidst the Civil War, ultimately ending in the rise of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (Byelorussian SSR) which became a founding constituent republic of the Soviet Union in 1922. Belarus lost almost half of its territory to Poland after the Polish–Soviet War (1919–1921). Much of the borders of Belarus took their modern shape in 1939, when some lands of the Second Polish Republic were reintegrated into it after the Soviet invasion of Poland, and were finalized after World War II.During WWII, military operations devastated Belarus, which lost about a quarter of its population and half of its economic resources.The republic was redeveloped in the post-war years. In 1945, the Byelorussian SSR became a founding member of the United Nations, along with the Soviet Union and the Ukrainian SSR.The parliament of the republic proclaimed the sovereignty of Belarus on 27 July 1990, and during the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Belarus declared independence on 25 August 1991.

The first stamp produced under independent Belarus in 1992 which depicates the Cross of Saint Euphrosyne, a 12th-century cross the image of which is displayed above.

25 August - Indian Polo team won the World Championship in 1957

 

India is the birthplace of modern polo. The modern game of polo is derived from Manipur, where the game was known as 'Sagol Kangjei', 'Kanjai-bazee', or 'Pulu'.It was the anglicised form of the last, referring to the wooden ball that was used, which was adopted by the sport in its slow spread to the west.

The Indian Polo Association (IPA) was founded in 1892.The outbreak of the second World War and the mechanization of cavalry units resulted in a decline in interest in Indian polo. The Calcutta Polo Club was the first polo club in the country to resume hosting tournaments post-independence. Polo clubs in Jaipur, Delhi, Bombay and Hyderabad subsequently began holding regular tournaments. The IPA invited the Argentine national polo team to visit India in 1950 and play an exhibition games across the country in a bid to revive interest in the sport. The Argentine team participated in tournaments in Jaipur, Delhi and Bombay. The Pakistan Army polo team visited India in 1955. The IPA also revived the Indian Polo Championship in 1956, after a gap of 17 years. The India national polo team participated in the 1957 World Championship in France and won the tournament it included Major Kishan Singh, Kr. Bijay Singh, Rao Raja Hanut Singh and H.H. Maharaja of Jaipur. These events helped revive interest in polo in the country. Indian polo received another boost after the Indian Army officially adopted polo as a sport granting access to new grounds and stables of horses.