05 April - Wilder Graves Penfield death anniversary

 

Wilder Graves Penfield (January 26, 1891 – April 5, 1976) was an American-Canadian neurosurgeon.He expanded brain surgery's methods and techniques, including mapping the functions of various regions of the brain such as the cortical homunculus. His scientific contributions on neural stimulation expand across a variety of topics including hallucinations, illusions, and déjà vu. Penfield devoted much of his thinking to mental processes, including contemplation of whether there was any scientific basis for the existence of the human soul.

Penfield died on April 5, 1976, of abdominal cancer at Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal.

05 April - National Maritime Day

 

 

National Maritime Day in India is observed on April 5th each year. This day commemorates the maiden voyage of the SS Loyalty, the first Indian-owned ship to sail to the United Kingdom on April 5, 1919. The SS Loyalty's voyage marked a significant milestone in India's maritime history and its emergence as a major maritime nation.

National Maritime Day is an occasion to celebrate India's rich maritime heritage and to recognize the contributions of the maritime sector to the country's economy and development. It serves as an opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of the maritime industry, including shipping, ports, maritime trade, and marine conservation.

On National Maritime Day, various events and activities are organized across India to honor the achievements of the maritime sector and to promote maritime awareness among the public. These may include seminars, conferences, exhibitions, ship visits, cultural performances, and educational programs highlighting the significance of the maritime industry.

Additionally, National Maritime Day provides a platform for stakeholders in the maritime sector, including government agencies, industry associations, maritime professionals, and seafarers, to come together to discuss key issues, share knowledge and expertise, and explore opportunities for collaboration and growth in the maritime domain.

Overall, National Maritime Day in India serves as a reminder of the country's maritime heritage and its ongoing commitment to harnessing the potential of the seas for sustainable development and prosperity.

"Navigating the future: safety first!" has been the theme selected for the International Maritime Organization's 2024 World Maritime Day.

05 April - Charles Freer Andrews death anniversary

 Charles Freer Andrews ( 12 February 1871 – 5 April 1940) was an Anglican priest and Christian missionary, educator and social reformer, and an activist for Indian independence. He became a close friend of Rabindranath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi and identified with the Indian liberation struggle. He was instrumental in convincing Gandhi to return to India from South Africa, where Gandhi had been a leading light in the Indian civil rights struggle.

C. F. Andrews was affectionately dubbed Christ's Faithful Apostle by Gandhi, based on his initials, C.F.A. For his contributions to the Indian independence movement, Gandhi and his students at St. Stephen's College, Delhi, named him Deenabandhu, or "Friend of the Poor". 

05 April - Pandita Ramabai Sarasvati death anniversary

Pandita Ramabai Sarasvati ( 23 April 1858 – 5 April 1922 ) was an Indian Social Reformer. She was the first woman to be awarded the titles of Pandita as a Sanskrit scholar and Sarasvati after being examined by the faculty of the University of Calcutta. She was one of the ten women delegates of the Congress session of 1889.During her stay in England in early 1880s she converted to Christianity. After that she toured extensively in the United States to collect funds for destitute Indian women. With the funds raised she started Sharada Sadan for child widows. In the late 1890s, she founded Mukti Mission, a Christian charity at Kedgaon village, forty miles east of the city of Pune. The mission was later named Pandita Ramabai Mukti Mission.

05 April - International Day of Conscience

 

The International Day of Conscience is a global day of awareness celebrated on April 5, commemorating the importance of human conscience. It was established by the United Nations General Assembly on July 25, 2019, with the adoption of UN resolution 73/329.The first International Day of Conscience was celebrated on April 5, 2020

05 April - Winston Churchill resigned as British Prime Minister

 

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from 1951 to 1955. Apart from two years between 1922 and 1924, he was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1900 to 1964 and represented a total of five constituencies. Ideologically an economic liberal and imperialist, he was for most of his career a member of the Conservative Party, which he led from 1940 to 1955. He was a member of the Liberal Party from 1904 to 1924.

Winston Churchill's Conservative Party lost the July 1945 general election, forcing him to step down as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. For six years he served as the Leader of the Opposition. During these years he continued to influence world affairs. In 1946 he gave his "Iron Curtain" speech which spoke of the expansionist policies of the Soviet Union and the creation of the Eastern Bloc; Churchill also argued strongly for British independence from the European Coal and Steel Community; he saw this as a Franco-German project and Britain still had an empire. In the General Election of 1951, Labour was defeated.

Churchill became Prime Minister for a second time. He continued to lead Britain but was to suffer increasingly from health problems. Aware that he was slowing down both physically and mentally, he resigned in 5th April 1955. He continued to sit as MP for Woodford until he retired from politics in 1964.

05 April - Jagjivan Ram was born on 1908

 

Jagjivan Ram, (5 April 1908 – 6 July 1986), the pinnacle of modern Indian politics, who was respectfully addressed as ‘Babuji’. His dedication and loyalty to the nation in his parliamentary life of nearly 50 years is unmatched. His entire life has been full of political, social activism, and distinguished achievements. The legal provisions made by Jagjivan Ram to protect the basic rights of Dalits, workers, exploited and oppressed for centuries, are historical. Jagjivan Ram was such a personality who never compromised with injustice and always struggled for the honor of Dalits. From student life, he raised his voice against injustice. Babu Jagjivan Ram has a great contribution in the development of parliamentary democracy in India. He was born on 5 April 1908.

04 April - The North Atlantic Treaty signed in 1949

 

On 4 April 1949,  Cold War: Twelve nations signed the North Atlantic Treaty created the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

The North Atlantic Treaty, also referred to as the Washington Treaty, is the treaty that forms the legal basis of, and is implemented by, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The treaty was signed in Washington, D.C., on 4 April 1949, by a committee which was chaired by US diplomat Theodore Achilles. Earlier secret talks had been held at the Pentagon between 22 March and 1 April 1948.

04 April - Karl Benz death anniversary

 

Karl Benz, passed away on 4 April 1929, was a German engine designer, automobile engineer. His Benz Patent Motorcar from 1885 is considered the first practical automobile. He received a patent for the motorcar in 1886.

04 April - World Rat Day

 Rats have been around for over 50 million years, and it may surprise you to learn that they haven’t always had a bad reputation! In fact, the Chinese zodiac honors the humble rat as the first animal in the twelve-year cycle and associates those born in the year of the rat with various positive personality traits, including optimism, intelligence and diligence.

Generally speaking, however, rats have had it pretty tough over the years. The Hindu god Ganesha is frequently depicted riding a rat and believers usually ascribe it negative connotations, with the little critter viewed as a symbol of selfish desires and destructive habits that Ganesha can help us overcome.

World Rat Day was founded in 2002 by a group of pet rat enthusiasts who wanted to challenge the stigma surrounding these creatures and give them the celebration they truly deserve. The day aims to shed a positive light on these animals and promote their care and welfare.

In India there is a temple in Rajasthan state known as Karni Mata Temple of Deshnoke. It is a prominent Hindu temple dedicated to Karni Mata at the town of Deshnoke, located 30 km south of Bikaner, in Rajasthan. It has become the most important pilgrimage site for devotees of Charani sagatis after access to Hinglaj was restricted following the partition of India. The temple is also a popular destination for tourists and pilgrims and is renowned, both in India and internationally, mistakenly as the “Temple of Rats” due to the numerous black rats (Rattus rattus) known as kābā which are considered holy and treated with utmost care by the devotees but the temple actually belongs to the deity Karni Mata and hence the name "Karni Mata Temple". This is sometimes upheld as exemplary of an "environmentally conscious Hindu ethos". The temple draws visitors from across the country for blessings, as well as curious tourists from around the world.