17 January - Muhammad Ali birth anniversary

 

Muhammad Ali (17 January 1942 – 03 June 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century and is frequently ranked as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time.In 1999, he was named Sportsman of the Century by Sports Illustrated and the Sports Personality of the Century by the BBC.

Outside boxing, Ali attained success as a spoken word artist, releasing two studio albums: I Am the Greatest! (1963) and The Adventures of Ali and His Gang vs. Mr. Tooth Decay (1976). Both albums received Grammy Award nominations. He also featured as an actor and writer, releasing two autobiographies. Ali retired from boxing in 1981 and focused on religion, philanthropy and activism. In 1984, he made public his diagnosis of Parkinson's syndrome, which some reports attributed to boxing-related injuries,though he and his specialist physicians disputed this.He remained an active public figure globally, but in his later years made fewer public appearances as his condition worsened, and he was cared for by his family.

15 January - Jean Bugatti birth anniversary

Jean Bugatti (15 January 1909 – 11 August 1939) was a German-French automotive designer and test engineer.[1]

Born Gianoberto Maria Carlo Bugatti in Cologne, he was the eldest son of Ettore Bugatti. Soon after his birth the family moved to the village of Dorlisheim near Molsheim in Alsace, Germany, where his father built the new Bugatti automobile manufacturing plant. Born into a family of creative people, from boyhood he was interested in his father's business. His grandfather Carlo Bugatti had lived in France for several years when he relocated from his native Milan to live in Paris. The Bugatti family were multilingual and in France, Gianoberto became known as Jean.

During World War I, the family lived in Milan, Italy. After the ceding of Alsace by Germany to France after the end of the war in 1919, the company became subject to French jurisdiction. By the late 1920s, young Jean Bugatti was an integral part of the company and had already demonstrated his vehicle design abilities. In 1932, at the age of twenty-three years, he did most of the design for the company's Type 41 Royale. His body designs complemented his father's engineering skill, making Bugatti one of the greatest names in automobile manufacturing. Additionally, Jean Bugatti designed four bodies for the Type 57, the Ventoux, Stelvio, Atalante and Atlantic models. Regarded as the finest of all the Bugatti touring models, the supercharged Bugatti 57 was debuted at the 1936 Paris Salon. Jean Bugatti also showed his engineering skills by working on new independent suspension systems to replace solid front axles and twin-cam engine applications.

He frequently tested the company's prototypes. On 11 August 1939, while testing the Type 57 tank-bodied racer which had just won the 24 Hours of Le Mans race that year, not far from the factory on the road near the village of Duppigheim, 30-year-old Jean Bugatti was killed when he lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a tree after hitting a cyclist, who had got onto the track through a hole in a treefence. He is interred in the Bugatti family plot at the municipal cemetery in Dorlisheim. There is a monument to him at the site of his accident.

14 January - Dinkar Balwant Deodhar in 1892

 

Dinkar Balwant Deodhar (14 January 1892 – 24 August 1993) was an Indian cricketer who played first-class cricket from 1911 to 1948.

Dinkar Balwant Deodhar was arguably the most distinguished Indian cricketer never to have played in an official Test. 

Deodhar was born in Poona (now Pune), British India. He was a professor of Sanskrit at Pune College.

He was awarded the Padma Shri award in 1965 and the Padma Bhushan in 1991 by the Indian Government.[6] He was the first Indian first-class cricketer known to have lived to 100

Like Bill Ashdown, Deodhar is one of the few people known to have played first-class cricket both before the First World War and after the Second World War, having played in the Bombay Triangular in 1911 and the Ranji Trophy in 1946.In a Ranji Trophy game against Nawanagar in 1944, he scored centuries in both innings, helping his team win.He was aged 53 during that time.

09 January - National Static Electricity Day

 

National Static Electricity Day is celebrated on January 9 of every year. The imbalance of electric charges within or on the surface of the material is known as Static Electricity. The charge will remain on the material until it tends to move by means of using electrical discharge or electric current. The term Static Electricity is called in contrast with current electricity, which transmits energy by flow through the wires or other conductors. We all experienced Static Electricity by grabbing the door handle on a cold, dry day or by experiencing the magnificence of natural lightning. You may experience it by walking across the carpet in wool socks or by putting your friend’s purr box kitten. There is a simple fact that Static Electricity may add a little spark to your day.

09 January - National Apricot Day in USA

National Apricot Day is an annual feast for the apricot lovers and is celebrated on January 9th of every year. Though there are lots of fruit varieties available in the world, some of them like the apricot are eaten all over the year. The orange velvety flesh texture of the apricot makes those who eat fall for it. It is a versatile fruit that can be eaten fresh, or canned and even dried as to consume later. So anyone can eat the apricot as fresh or can also try different recipes using this fruit. The National Apricot Day wouldn’t be complete without tasting this fleshy fruit.

08 January - Marco Polo death anniversary

Marco Polo (1254 – January 08, 1324) was a Venetian merchant, explorer, and writer who traveled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in The Travels of Marco Polo (also known as Book of the Marvels of the World and Il Milione, c. 1300), a book that described to Europeans the then mysterious culture and inner workings of the Eastern world, including the wealth and great size of the Mongol Empire and China in the Yuan Dynasty, giving their first comprehensive look into China, Persia, India, Japan and other Asian cities and countries.

Marco Polo (1254-1324) was a Venetian merchant believed to have journeyed across Asia at the height of the Mongol Empire. He first set out at age 17 with his father and uncle, traveling overland along what later became known as the Silk Road. Upon reaching China, Marco Polo entered the court of powerful Mongol ruler Kublai Khan, who dispatched him on trips to help administer the realm. Marco Polo remained abroad for 24 years. Though not the first European to explore China—his father and uncle, among others, had already been there—he became famous for his travels thanks to a popular book he co-authored while languishing in a Genoese prison.

07 January - Tarzan in comics first published in 1929

Tarzan, a fictional character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, first appeared in the 1912 novel Tarzan of the Apes, and then in 23 sequels. The character proved immensely popular and quickly made the jump to other media, including comics.

Tarzan of the Apes was adapted into newspaper strip form, first published January 7, 1929, with illustrations by Hal Foster.A full page Sunday strip began on March 15, 1931, with artwork by Rex Maxon.United Feature Syndicate distributed the strip.