Sarah Berndhart  France : Famous Actress Born : AD 1844          Died : AD 1923 Many great actresses of the world have made history and Sarah Berndhart was one of them. For 50 years, she dominated the field of acting. Although her first performance was remarkable for its high quality of acting, yet she kept on improving with every performance till the end. Her work never sagged. Sarah was born in...

Benjamin Disreali   England : British Statesman Born : AD 1804          Died : AD 1881 When a slim and young Jew, British Member of Parliament rose to make his first speech, he was jeered at by the members. The 32- year old MP sat down saying, “I will sit down today but the time will come when you will be listening to me attentively”, and that time did come when...

Jamshedji Tata   India : Pioneer of Indian Industry Born : AD 1839                    Died : AD 1904 Jamshedji Tata is considered to be the path-finder of modern industrial builders. He is known as the grand-father of Indian industry for his acumen and enthusiasm. Nobody else could have thought of the new industries started by Jamshedji at that time when industrial awakening and revolution was yet to come to India. Jamshedji’s...

Alexander Graham Bell   Scotland : An Inventor Born : AD 1847                    Died : AD 1922   My God, it speaks” uttered the Emperor of Brazil and the receiver of the Telephone slipped from his hand and banged aground. At the other end Alexander Graham Bell was still on line. This incident goes back to 1876 when at an exhibition in Philadelphia (USA), Alexander Graham Bell was giving a demonstration...

Swami Shradhananda   India : Originator of Gurukul System Born : AD 1859          Died : AD 1926 Swami Shradhananda left an indelible mark of his works on the 10 spiritual progress of the country. He founded the institution Gurukul Kangri, with a view to spreading education. This helped in spreading female-education and also in improving the image of Hindi language. He edited Saddharma Pracharak in 1889, Shraddha in 1918, Vijay...

Swami Dayanand Saraswati   India : Founder of Arya Samaj Born : AD 1824                    Died : AD 1883 Swami Dayanand is remembered with reverence and affection among the social-reformers of the nineteenth century. He raised his voice against idol-worship. That was a time when religious hypocrisy was rife, social evils like child-marriage was an accepted practice, widows were ill-treated. It was Swami Dayanand who showed remarkable courage in decrying these...

Shachindra Nath Sanyal   India Great Revolutionary Born : AD 1895                    Died : AD 1945 Shachindra Nath Sanyal was born in Benaras where he completed his education. He started participating in revolutionary activities-for his student days itself. Shachindra Nath jumped in the independence-struggle fray in 1908 when he formed Young Men’s Association. The same year he came into contact with Ras Behari Bose and gave Hindustan Republican Association a revolutionary...