21 April - Brasília founded in 1960

 

Brasília is the capital city of Brazil, located in the Federal District in the central part of the country. It was founded on 21 April 1960 and is known for its unique modernist architecture and urban planning.  On 21 April 2012, Google celebrated Brasilia’s Anniversary.

Brasília was planned and built as the new capital of Brazil to promote the country’s interior development and reduce the concentration of political and economic power in coastal cities. The decision to construct a new capital was made in 1956, and the city was designed by the renowned Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer and urban planner Lúcio Costa. Construction began in 1957, and the city was officially inaugurated as the capital of Brazil on April 21, 1960.

Brasília is famous for its unique modernist architecture, characterized by its innovative and futuristic design. Many of the city’s buildings were designed by Oscar Niemeyer, known for his curved lines, bold forms, and use of reinforced concrete. The city’s architecture includes notable landmarks such as the National Congress of Brazil, the Presidential Palace, the Cathedral of Brasília, and the Juscelino Kubitschek Bridge, among others.

21 April - Friedrich Frobel birth anniversary

 

Friedrich Wilhelm August Fröbel or Froebel (21 April 1782 – 21 June 1852) was a German pedagogue, a student of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, who laid the foundation for modern education based on the recognition that children have unique needs and capabilities. He created the concept of the kindergarten and coined the word, which soon entered the English language as well. He also developed the educational toys known as Froebel gifts.

21 April - foundation of Bangkok as the capital IN 1782

 

In 1782, King Phutthayotfa Chulalok (Rama I) succeeded Taksin, moved the capital to the eastern bank's Rattanakosin Island, thus founding the Rattanakosin Kingdom. The City Pillar was erected on 21 April 1782, which is regarded as the date of foundation of Bangkok as the capital.

Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies 1,568.7 square kilometres (605.7 sq mi) in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated population of 10.539 million as of 2020, 15.3 percent of the country's population. Over 14 million people (22.2 percent) lived within the surrounding Bangkok Metropolitan Region at the 2010 census, making Bangkok an extreme primate city, dwarfing Thailand's other urban centres in both size and importance to the national economy. 

21 April - Bajirao I succeeded Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath in 1720

 

Bajirao I (18 August 1700 – 28 April 1740), born as Visaji, was the 7th Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy. During his 20-year tenure as a Peshwa, he defeated Nizam-ul-Mulk at several battles like the Battle of Palkhed and Battle of Bhopal. Bajirao contributed to Maratha supremacy in southern India and northern India. Thus, he was partly responsible for establishing Maratha power in Gujarat, Malwa, Rajputana and Bundelkhand and liberating Konkan (in the western coast of India) from the Siddis of Janjira and Portuguese rule.

When Balaji Vishwanath died in 1720, Shahu Maharaj appointed the 20-year-old Baji Rao on 21 April 1720 as Peshwa despite opposition from other chieftains.

21 April - Max Weber birth anniversary

 

Max Weber (21 April 1864 – 14 June 1920), a German lawyer, historian, politician, sociologist, as well as known as a political economist. His ideas deeply influenced social theory and social research. Weber was a major proponent of methodological antipositivism, arguing for the study of social action through an interpretive (rather than purely empiricist) understanding of the objective and means that individuals engage with their actions. He was born on 21 April 1864Max Weber (21 April 1864 – 14 June 1920), a German lawyer, historian, politician, sociologist, as well as known as a political economist. His ideas deeply influenced social theory and social research. Weber was a major proponent of methodological antipositivism, arguing for the study of social action through an interpretive (rather than purely empiricist) understanding of the objective and means that individuals engage with their actions. He was born on 21 April 1864

21 April - Inder Kumar Gujral served as 12th prime minister of India

 

Inder Kumar Gujral (4 December 1919 – 30 November 2012) was an Indian diplomat, politician and freedom activist who served as the 12th prime minister of India from 21 April 1997 to March 1998.

Born in Punjab, he was influenced by nationalistic ideas as a student, and joined the All India Students Federation and the Communist Party of India. He was imprisoned for taking part in the Quit India movement. After independence, he joined the Indian National Congress party in 1964, and became a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha.

He was the Minister of Information and Broadcasting during the emergency. In 1976, he was appointed the Ambassador of India to the Soviet Union. In 1996, he became the Minister of External Affairs in the Deve Gowda ministry, and developed the Gujral doctrine during this period. He was appointed the 12th Prime Minister of India in 1997. His tenure lasted for less than a year.

He retired from all political positions in 1998. He died in 2012 at the age of 92, following hospitalization due to a lung infection. 

20 April - Philippe Pinel French physician birth anniversary

 

Philippe Pinel was a French physician who is considered one of the founders of modern psychiatry. He was born on April 20, 1745, in Saint-Andre, France. Pinel was a pioneer in the humane treatment of mentally ill patients, and his work helped to change the way mental illness was viewed and treated.

In 1792, Pinel was appointed as the physician-in-chief of the Salpêtrière hospital in Paris, which at the time was one of the largest asylums in Europe. He was appalled by the inhumane conditions in which the mentally ill were kept, and he began to implement reforms to improve their treatment. He believed that mental illness was a disease of the mind, rather than a form of demonic possession, as many people believed at the time.

Pinel introduced the concept of moral treatment, which emphasized the importance of treating mentally ill patients with kindness and compassion, rather than punishment and cruelty. He allowed patients to move around freely, interact with each other, and engage in activities such as gardening and painting. He also began to document his observations of patients' behavior, which helped to improve the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness.

Pinel's work had a profound impact on the field of psychiatry, and his ideas were widely adopted throughout Europe and North America. He was also instrumental in the development of the classification system for mental illness, which is still used today.

Pinel died on October 25, 1826, in Paris. His legacy continues to inspire modern psychiatrists and mental health professionals to provide compassionate care and treatment to those suffering from mental illness.

20 April - Adolf Hitler birth anniversary

 

Adolf Hitler was a German politician and leader of the Nazi Party, who rose to power as Chancellor of Germany in 1933 and later Führer in 1934. He was born on April 20, 1889, in Braunau am Inn, Austria-Hungary. Hitler's rise to power and his aggressive foreign policies led to the Second World War and the Holocaust, in which millions of people, including six million Jews, were killed.

Hitler's early life was marked by poverty, rejection, and failure. He dropped out of high school, twice failed to gain admission to the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, and lived in homeless shelters and slept on park benches. In 1913, he moved to Munich, Germany, and became involved in politics, joining the German Workers' Party, which would later become the Nazi Party.

After Germany's defeat in World War I, Hitler blamed the Jews, socialists, and communists for Germany's problems. He became the leader of the Nazi Party in 1921 and soon gained a following with his charismatic speeches and promises to restore Germany's power and prestige.

In 1933, Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany by President Paul von Hindenburg, and he quickly consolidated power, establishing a dictatorship and suppressing opposition. He implemented policies to create a racially pure society, including the persecution and extermination of Jews and other minorities.

Hitler's aggressive foreign policies led to the invasion of Poland in 1939, which triggered the start of World War II. Germany rapidly conquered much of Europe, but was eventually defeated by Allied forces in 1945. Hitler committed suicide in his bunker in Berlin on April 30, 1945, as Allied forces closed in on the city.

Hitler's legacy is one of devastation and tragedy. His policies led to the deaths of millions of people and forever scarred the world. His ideology of racism and hatred lives on in the form of neo-Nazism and other extremist groups. Hitler serves as a warning of the dangers of unchecked power, hate, and intolerance

 

20 April - Bernard Katz death anniversary

 

Bernard Katz was a prominent German-born British biophysicist known for his pioneering work in neurophysiology. He was born on 26 March 1911, in Leipzig, Germany, and he passed away on  20 April 2003, in London, United Kingdom.

Katz made significant contributions to our understanding of how nerve cells communicate with each other and with muscles. He is best known for his research on the mechanism of synaptic transmission, which earned him the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1970, shared with Julius Axelrod and Ulf von Euler.

One of Katz's most important discoveries was the understanding of how neurotransmitters are released from nerve cells at synapses and how they influence the electrical activity of target cells. He proposed the concept of quantal release of neurotransmitters, suggesting that neurotransmitter release occurs in discrete packets or quanta, which was a groundbreaking insight into synaptic physiology.

Katz's work laid the foundation for our modern understanding of synaptic transmission and neurotransmission, and it has had a profound impact on the fields of neuroscience and pharmacology. His research paved the way for further discoveries and advancements in our understanding of how the nervous system functions.

In addition to the Nobel Prize, Bernard Katz received numerous other honors and awards throughout his career in recognition of his contributions to science and medicine. He is remembered as one of the leading figures in neurophysiology and synaptic transmission, whose work continues to inspire and influence scientists around the world.

20 April - Zu Chongzhi birth anniversary

 

Zu Chongzhi was a Chinese astronomer, mathematician, politician, inventor, and writer during the Liu Song and Southern Qi dynasties. He was most notable for calculating pi as between 3.1415926 and 3.1415927, a record in accuracy which would not be surpassed for over 800 years.  

On 20 April 2009, Google celebrated Zu Chongzhi’s Birthday with a doodle