28 June - King Edward IV crowned in 1461

  

Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) king of England from 1461 until October 1470 and again from April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a leading participant in the Yorkist-Lancastrian conflict known as the Wars of the Roses.

Edward was the eldest surviving son of Richard, duke of York, by Cicely, daughter of Ralph Neville, earl of Westmorland. His father was descended from two sons of the 14th-century king Edward III and, in the 1450s, led a revolt against Henry VI; in 1460, Richard’s supporters declared him Henry’s successor. When his father was killed in December of that year, Edward gathered an army in Wales and defeated Henry’s supporters (called Lancastrians because of Henry’s descent from John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster). Edward was crowned as King Edward IV in London on June 28, 1461.

28 June - Battle of Berestechko fougth from 28 to 30 June 1651

The Battle of Berestechko was fought between the Ukrainian Cossacks, led by Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky, aided by their Crimean Tatar allies, and a Polish army under King John II Casimir. It was a battle of a Cossack rebellion in Ukraine that took place in the years 1648–1657 after the expiration of a two-year truce.Fought from 28 to 30 June 1651, the battle took place in the province of Volhynia, on the hilly plain south of the Styr River.The Polish camp was on the river opposite Berestechko and faced south, towards the Cossack army about two kilometers away, whose right flank was against the River Pliashivka (Pliashova) and the Tatar army on their left flank.It is considered to have been among the largest European land battles of the 17th century.

First modern dog show 28 -29 June 1859

The first modern dog show, on 28–29 June 1859 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, was an added attraction to the annual cattle show. Its country character was clear, as only setters and pointers – sporting breeds – were shown and the prizes were guns. It was a low key start to what would be, by the end of the century, a hugely popular pastime, with dog owning fashionable among all classes of society, and which had huge implications for canine breeding.

The first show to include non‑sporting breeds was held in Birmingham later in 1859 and was such a success that a year later, the Birmingham Dog Show Society ran the first National Dog Show, for which there were 267 entries, with 30 breeds, judged in 42 classes. The main organiser was Richard Brailsford, a gamekeeper on the Knowsley estate of the Earl of Derby, then leader of the Conservative opposition and three-time prime minister. The earl’s pointer, Juno, won a prize in 1862, indicating how rapidly participation in dog shows spread to the country’s elite, making dog fancying fashionable and respectable. By the end of the 1860s, the National Dog Show was attracting over 700 dogs and 20,000 paying visitors.

27 June - R. D. Burman Indian music director birth anniversary

Rahul Dev Burman (27 June 1939 – 04 January 1994) was an Indian music director. From the 1960s to the 1990s, Burman composed musical scores for 331 films.Burman did major work with his wife, Asha Bhosle and Kishore Kumar and scored many of the songs that made these singers famous. He has also scored many songs sung by his sister-in-law, Lata Mangeshkar. Nicknamed Pancham, he was the only son of the composer Sachin Dev Burman.

He was mainly active in the Hindi film industry as a composer, and also provided vocals for a few compositions.He served as an influence to the next generation of Indian music directors,and his songs continue to be popular in India and overseas.

26 June - Bankimchandra Chatterjee birth anniversary

Bankimchandra Chatterjee or Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay, ( 26 June 1838– 08 April 1894)was an Indian novelist, poet and journalist.He was the composer of Vande Mataram, originally in Sanskrit stotra personifying India as a mother goddess and inspiring activists during the Indian Independence Movement. Chattopadhyay wrote thirteen novels and many serious, serio-comic, satirical, scientific and critical treatises in Bengali. His works were widely translated into other regional languages of India as well as in English. He was born on 13th Ashard 1245, as per Bengali calendar.

 

                

A pair of golden shoes for Goddess Meenakshi Amman by Rous Peter

A British Collector named Rous Peter  was appointed as Collector of Madurai from 1812 to 1828. 

Though a Christian by faith, he respected all faiths including Hinduism and also honored local practices. 

Collector Peter was the temple administrator of the Meenakshi Amman Temple and conducted all his duties with sincerity and honesty and respected the religious sentiments of all people.

Collector Rous Peter respected and treated people of all faiths equally and this noble trait earned him the popular nickname ‘Peter Pandian' 

Goddess Meenakshi Amman Temple was situated between Collector Peter's residence and office.

Everyday he used to go to the office by his horse and while crossing the temple, he got down from his horse, removed the hat and his shoes and crossed the whole path on his foot. 

Through this small gesture he expressed his reverence to the Goddess!

One day there was a heavy downpour in Madurai city and River Vaigai was in spate.

Collector was sleeping in his residence and was suddenly disturbed and woken up by the sound of anklets and he left his bed to find out from where the sound had came. 

He saw a small girl wearing pattuvastrams (silk garments) and precious ornaments and addressing him as 'Peter come this way'. 

And he came out to follow her and was running behind the little girl to find out who she was!

As he came out of the house and was running, he was shocked as he turned to see behind him, his residence (whole bungalow) being washed away by the flood waters of River Vaigai!

He turned to follow the girl but she disappeared into thin air!

He saw that the girl ran without any shoes and was wearing anklets. 

He beleived that his devotion for Mother Goddess Meenakshi  had saved his life. 

Later, he wished to give a gift to Lord Meenakshi Amman & consulted the priest of temple and ordered for a pair of golden shoes for Goddess Meenakshi Amman.

It is thus that the pair of Paadhukams consisting of 

412 rubies,
72 emeralds,
and 80 diamonds

were made and donated to the temple. 

His name was sculpted as "Peter" on the shoes. 

Till this day the pair of Paadhukams are known as 'Peter Paadhukam'

Every year at the time of 'Chaitra Festival', utsava moorthy of Goddess Meenakshi Amman is decorated with the Padukams. 

This is the incidence that had  happened 200 years back in 1818.Paadhukams are posted below !

26 June - Bal Gandharva birth anniversary

Narayan Shripad Rajhans, better known as Bal Gandharva (26 June 1888 – 15 July 1967), was a Marathi singer and stage actor. He was famous for his roles in female characters in Marathi plays, since women were not allowed to act on stage during his time.

Bal Gandharva got his name after a singing performance in Pune. Lokmanya Tilak, a social reformer and a freedom fighter of Indian independence movement was in the audience, and after the performance, reportedly patted Rajhans on the back and said that Narayan was a "Bal Gandharva" (lit. Young Gandharva).

26 June - International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking

The International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is a United Nations International Day against drug abuse and the illegal drug trade. It is observed annually on 26 June, since 1989. The date June 26 is to commemorate Lin Zexu's dismantling of the opium trade in Humen, Guangdong, ending in June 25 1839，just before the First Opium War in China. The observance was instituted by General Assembly Resolution 42/112 of 7 December 1987.

According to the World Drug Report 2017, released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), about a quarter of a billion people used drugs at least once in 2015.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is the space agency of the Government of India and has its headquarters in the city of Bengaluru. Its vision is to "harness space technology for national development while pursuing space science research & planetary exploration".[6] The Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) was established by Jawaharlal Nehru under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) in 1962, with the urging of scientist Vikram Sarabhai recognizing the need in space research. INCOSPAR grew and became ISRO in 1969,also under the DAE.In 1972, the Government of India had set up a Space Commission and the Department of Space (DOS),bringing ISRO under the DOS. The establishment of ISRO thus institutionalized space research activities in India.It is managed by the DOS, which reports to the Prime Minister of India.

25 June - The Emergency India in 1975

In India, "The Emergency" refers to a 21 month period from 1975 to 1977 when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had a state of emergency declared across the country. Officially issued by President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed under Article 352 of the Constitution because of the prevailing "internal disturbance", the Emergency was in effect from 25 June 1975 until its withdrawal on 21 March 1977. The order bestowed upon the Prime Minister the authority to rule by decree, allowing elections to be suspended and civil liberties to be curbed. For much of the Emergency, most of Indira Gandhi's political opponents were imprisoned and the press was censored. Several other human rights violations were reported from the time, including a forced mass-sterilization campaign spearheaded by Sanjay Gandhi, the Prime Minister's son. The Emergency is one of the most controversial periods of independent India's history.

The final decision to impose an emergency was proposed by Indira Gandhi, agreed upon by the president of India, and thereafter ratified by the cabinet and the parliament (from July to August 1975), based on the rationale that there were imminent internal and external threats to the Indian state.

The Emergency lasted 21 months, and its legacy remains intensely controversial. A few days after the Emergency was imposed, the Bombay edition of The Times of India carried an obituary that read

"Democracy, beloved husband of Truth, loving father of Liberty, brother of Faith, Hope and Justice, expired on June 26."

A few days later censorship was imposed on newspapers. The Delhi edition of the Indian Express on 28 June, carried a blank editorial, while the Financial Express reproduced in large type Rabindranath Tagore's poem "Where the mind is without fear".

Slogan cancellation image from :http://prafulthakkar.in/