Abdul Gaffar Khan   Pakhtunistan : ‘Frontier Gandhi’ Birth : 1890       Death : 1988 Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan is one of the few survivors of the older generation of freedom fighters and followers of Gandhi. He is called `Frontier Gandhi’ because he organized the people of the North West Frontier Province (N.W.F.P.) of the undivided India on Gandhian principles. After the partition of India in 1947, N.W.F.P. was merged into...

Pablo Picasso   Spain : Greatest Artist of the 20th Century Birth : 1881       Death : 1972 Pablo Ruizy Picasso is considered one of the most remarkable personalities of the 20th century. He was the most brilliant and creative artist of his times. In 1906, together with Braque, he introduced a new style of painting called ‘Cubism’ which represented things in three dimensions. He was also a pioneer in `abstract art’...

Alfred Nobel Sweden : Founder of Nobel Prizes Birth : 1833       Death : 1896 Alfred Bernhard Nobel has acquired immense fame as the inventor of dynamite and as the founder of the Nobel Prizes. Alfred Nobel was well aware of the misuse of dynamite for destructive purposes and that is why he emphasized its peaceful uses. Alfred Nobel’s invention of dynamite was a matter of chance only. One day he...

Mahavir Swami   India : 24th Jain Tirathankar Birth :599           B.C. 527 B.C. Mahavir Swami was one of those noble souls of the world who gave up kingly comforts and wordly pleasures for the cause of humanity. It was after twelve years, of hard meditation under considerable physical suffering that Mahavir attained enlightenment or supreme knowledge. After attaining enlightenment, Mahavir extensively toured through various kingdoms spreading the teachings of Jainism...

Sir J.C. Bose India: Discoverer of Life in Plants Birth :1855        Death : 1937 The momentous discovery that plants, like other living beings, also throb with life was made by the renowed Indian scientist, Sir Jagdish Chandra Bose. The world was greatly surprised to hear about this new and wholly unexpected discovery of Bose. With the help of various scientific instruments, invented by Bose himself, he demonstrated that plants too...

William Gilbert Grace   England : Cricket Patriarch Birth : 1848                 Death : 1915 William Gilbert Grace occupies a historical place in the world of cricket. As a cricketer he is beyond all comparison. His cricket career spanned, over decades and his achievements are sheerly stupendous. The records he made look impossible, yet, they, are true. W.G. Grace was born on 18th June 1848, in Bristol (England). He was a...

Wilhelm K Roentgen   Germany : Physicist and Discoverer of X-rays Birth :1845        Death : 1923 The name of Roentgen is well-known throughout the world as the discoverer of X-rays. 13tit he is equally famous for another reason also as a recipient of the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901. Roentgen’s discovery of X-rays in 1895 was a matter of chance only. One day he was carrying out experiments...

Prakash Padukone   India : Noted Badminton Player Birth : 1955   Prakash Padukone is the most successful Badminton player of India who has won laurels for his country by his brilliant achievements in international badminton. He was the national badminton champion for 9 consecutive years during 1970-78. When he was only 15, he made a record by winning junior boys and men’s singles’ badminton titles in 1971. Padukone’s achievements in...