National Unity Day(Birth Anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

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Scientist of the day - Baruj Benacerraf

Baruj Benacerraf was a Venezuelan-born American immunologist who was one of the co-recipients of the 1980 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. His most significant contribution is the identification of gene groups called ‘major histocompatibility complexes’ and understanding their capacity to control immune responses. Though born into a family with a business background, he was interested in pursuing science and graduated with a Bachelors degree in Science from Columbia University and a Doctor of Medicine degree from the Medical College of Virginia. He served in the US Army for a year after which he began his career as a researcher. As a researcher, he had the opportunity to work on various areas like structure of antibodies, tumor specific immunity, immunochemistry, immune complex diseases and so on. He worked in collaboration with renowned scientists like William Paul, Victor Nussenzweig, Gerald Edelman and Zoltan Ovary among many others. He was jointly awarded the 1980 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with immunologist Jean Dausset and geneticist George D. Snell. 

Childhood & Early Life

• Baruj Benacerraf was born on 29 October 1920, at Caracas, Venezuela. His father was a business man from Spanish Morocco and mother was from French Algeria. His brother, Paul Joseph Salomon Benacerraf, grew up to become a renowned philosopher.
• In 1925, he along with his family shifted to Paris from Venezuela. He completed his primary and secondary school education in French.
• With the onset of World War II, in 1939, he and his family shifted back to Venezuela. In 1940, he moved to New York, USA to pursue higher studies.
• He enrolled at the Columbia University in the School of General Studies and graduated with Bachelors degree in Science in 1942. Later he successfully completed his degree in Doctor of Medicine from the Medical College of Virginia.

  Major Works

  • Baruj Benacerraf was an immunologist who researched on the working of the human immune system. His most noted work was the discovery of genes that control immune responses and the part played by genes in autoimmune diseases.

  Awards & Achievements

  • He was the recipient of the Rabbi Shai Shacknai Prize in Immunology and Cancer Research presented by Hebrew University in Jerusalem in 1974.
  • In 1976, he was awarded the T. Duckett Jones Memorial Award by Helen Hay Whitney Foundation.
  • Baruj Benacerraf jointly won the 1980 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Jean Dausset and George Davis Snell. The trio won the award "for their discoveries concerning genetically determined structures on the cell surface that regulate immunological reactions".
  • In 1990 he was awarded the National Medal of Science.
  • The Gold-Headed Cane Award of the American Society of Investigative Pathology was received by him in 1996. The same year he won the Charles A. Dana Award.
  • He received the 2001 AAI Excellence in Mentoring Award.
  • He was the elected member of professional societies like American Academy of Arts and Sciences, The Institute of Medicine and The National Academy of Sciences.

  Personal Life & Legacy
• Baruj Benacerraf married Annette Dreyfus in 1943 and the couple had a daughter named Beryl Rica Benacerraf. His wife, Annette, died in June 2011.

• He died of pneumonia on 2 August 2011, at Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, at the age of 90.

Happy Birth Day to Bill Gates

Bill Gates – A Success Story

Bill Gates was born on October 28, 1955 in Seattle in a family having rich business, political and community service background. His great-grandfather was a state legislator and a mayor, his grandfather was vice president of national bank and his father was a lawyer.

Bill believed in achieving his goals through hard work. He also believes that if you are intelligent and know how to use your intelligence, you can reach your goals and targets. From his early days Bill was ambitious, competitive and intelligent. These qualities helped him to attain great position in the profession he chose also Bill was deemed by his peers and his teachers as the smartest kid on campus; Bill’s parents came to know their son’s intelligence and decided to enroll him in a private school, known for its intense academic environment. That was the most important decision in Bill Gate’s life where he was first introduced to computers. Bill Gates and his friends were very much interested in computer and formed “Programmers Group” in late 1968. Being in this group, they found a new way to apply their computer skill in university of Washington. In the next year, they got their first opportunity in Information Sciences Inc. in which they were selected as programmers. ISI (Information Sciences Inc.) agreed to give them royalties, whenever it made money from any of the group’s program. As a result of the business deal signed with Information Sciences Inc., the group also became a legal business.

           Bill Gates and his close friend Allen formed a new company of their own, Traf-O-Data. They developed a small computer to measure traffic flow. From this project they earned around $20,000. The era of Traf-O-Data came to an end when Gates left the college. Upon graduating from Lakeside Bill enrolled in Harvard University in 1973, one of the best universities in the country, He didn’t know what to do, so he enrolled his name for pre-law. He took the standard freshman courses with the exception of signing up for one of Harvard’s toughest mathematics courses. He did well over there, but he couldn’t find it interesting too. He spent many long nights in front of the school’s computer and the next day asleep in class. After leaving school, he almost lost himself from the world of computers. Gates and his friend Paul Allen remained in close contact even though they were away from school. They would often discuss new ideas for future projects and the possibility of starting a business one fine day. At the end of Bill’s first year, Allen came close to him so that they could follow some of their ideas. That summer they got job in Honeywell. Allen kept on pushing Bill for opening a new software company.

           Within a year, Bill Gates dropped out from Harvard. Then he formed Microsoft. Microsoft’s vision is “A computer on every desk and Microsoft software on every computer”. Bill is a visionary person and works very hard to achieve his vision. His belief in high intelligence and hard work has put him where he is today. He does not believe in mere luck or God’s grace, but just hard work and competitiveness. Bill’s Microsoft is good competition for other software companies and he will continue to stomp out (challenge) the competition until he dies. He likes to play the game of Risk and the game of world domination. His beliefs are so powerful, which have helped him increase his wealth and his monopoly in the industry.

           Bill Gates is not a greedy person. In fact, he is quite giving person when it comes to computers, internet and any kind of funding. Some years back, he visited Chicago’s Einstein Elementary School and announced grants benefiting Chicago’s schools and museums where he donated a total of $110,000, a bunch of computers, and provided internet connectivity to number of schools. Secondly, Bill Gates donated 38 million dollars for the building of a computer institute at Stanford University.


"such as the meaning of his name is Bill Gates, which means the gate of the money... 

Patience is a key element of success.” – Bill Gates

 

Enjoy this collection of 27 inspirational Bill Gates quotes.

 “Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can’t lose.” – Bill Gates

“It’s fine to celebrate success, but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.” – Bill Gates

“People always fear change. People feared electricity when it was invented, didn’t they?” – Bill Gates

“If you can’t make it good, at least make it look good.” – Bill Gates

“I have been struck again and again by how important measurement is to improving the human condition.” – Bill Gates

“If I’d had some set idea of a finish line, don’t you think I would have crossed it years ago?” – Bill Gates

“We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten. Don’t let yourself be lulled into inaction.” – Bill Gates

“To win big, you sometimes have to take big risks.” – Bill Gates

“We’ve got to put a lot of money into changing behavior.” – Bill Gates

“Of my mental cycles, I devote maybe 10% to business thinking. Business isn’t that complicated. I wouldn’t want that on my business card.” – Bill Gates

“I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.” – Bill Gates

“Television is not real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.” – Bill Gates

“Life is not fair – get used to it!” – Bill Gates

“If geek means you’re willing to study things, and if you think science and engineering matter, I plead guilty. If your culture doesn’t like geeks, you are in real trouble.” – Bill Gates

“Don’t compare yourself with anyone in this world. If you do so, you are insulting yourself.” – Bill Gates

“As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.” – Bill Gates

“‘I don’t know’ has become ‘I don’t know yet’.” – Bill Gates

“I really had a lot of dreams when I was a kid, and I think a great deal of that grew out of the fact that I had a chance to read a lot.” – Bill Gates

“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” – Bill Gates

“Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping – they called it opportunity.” – Bill Gates

“Our success has really been based on partnerships from the very beginning.” – Bill Gates

“This is a fantastic time to be entering the business world, because business is going to change more in the next 10 years than it has in the last 50.” – Bill Gates

“The world won’t care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.” – Bill Gates

“If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.” – Bill Gates

“Expectations are a form of first-class truth: If people believe it, it’s true.” – Bill Gates

“We all need people who will give us feedback. That’s how we improve.” – Bill Gates

Scientist of the day - Evariste Galois

Evariste Galois has been hailed by many as the father of modern algebra. In his short lifetime, he did some phenomenal research work on mathematics and published many of his works. At such a young age, Galois worked out algebraic applications of finite groups, now known as Galois groups, and laid the foundations for the solvability of algebraic equations using rational operations and extraction of roots. It is beyond doubt that his mathematical work helped a great deal in the transformation of the theory of algebraic equations. Along with Norwegian mathematician Niels Abel, he proved the impossibility of solving general quintic equation and polynomial equations of higher degree, in terms of a finite number of rational operations and root extractions. Galois had to endure many misfortunes in his short lifetime, ranging from his father’s untimely demise to many of his works being ignored, misplaced and lost by their caretakers. He had also been a radical Republican during the reign of Louis Philippe in France. 

Childhood & Early Life

Evariste Galois was born on the 25th of October, 1811 in Bourg-la-Rein, near Paris. Both of his parents were well educated in classical literature, religion and philosophy. Evariste’s father, Nicolas-Gabriel Galois, was a Republican and headed the Bourg-la-Reine's liberal party. After Louis XVIII returned to the throne in 1814, Nicolas was appointed the mayor of the village in 1815. Evariste’s mother, the daughter of a jurist, took care of Galois’s education till he turned twelve when he entered the lycée of Louis-le-Grand in Paris in October 1823. Though the school was going through a great upheaval when Galois entered and about 100 students were expelled, he performed well initially and ranked first in Latin which he learnt under his mother’s tutelage. However, he soon lost interest in studies and started taking deep interest only in mathematics, at the age of 14. By February 1827 he enrolled himself for his first mathematics class under M. Vernie. He studied Adrien Marie Legendre's ‘Éléments de Géométrie’ which he mastered in the first reading. By the time he turned 15, Galois was already studying the original papers of Joseph Louis Lagrange, which included ‘Réflexions sur la résolution algébrique des équations’ that seemed to have inspired one of his later work on equation theory. He also studied Leçons sur le calcul des fonctions, which was meant for professional mathematicians. However, his class performance continually declined during this period. In 1828, Galois took the examination of the École Polytechnique, the most prestigious university of Paris, but failed to clear it. That very year, he entered École Normale, a relatively lesser known institution for mathematical studies at the time, where he found some professors who were sympathetic to him.

 

Death

Galois's died on account of a duel that occurred on the 30^th May 1832. Though the reason behind the incident is not clear, there have been a great many speculations. Some letters written prior to his death can be traced back to a woman named Mademoiselle Stéphanie-Félicie Poterin du Motel, who might have shared some of her personal problems with Galois and this could have instigated the duel. While some suggest that the man, who Galois invited for the duel was Pescheux d'Herbinville, was a part of the squad that had arrested him earlier and was also du Motel's fiancé, other accounts suggest that Galois’s opponent was one of his Republican friends. The night before the duel, Galois sent a letter to Auguste Chevalier with three of his mathematical manuscripts attached. On 30^th May 1832, Galois confronted his opponent and was shot in the abdomen. He was discovered, hours later, by a peasant and was taken to the hospital where he passed away the next morning after speaking his final words to his brother Alfred. He died at the age of 20.

 

Major Works

• Galois groups
• General linear group over a prime field

United Nations Day &n World Development Information Day

The 24th October, each year is the International United Nations Day. This followed a declaration by the United Nations General Assembly in 1947 which designated 24th of October, the anniversary of the Charter of the United Nations, as United Nations Day, by proclaiming that the day would be instrumental in making people aware and it shall be devoted in making known to the people of the world the aims and achievements of the United Nations and to gain their support for its work. By a further resolution that of the United Nations Resolution 2782 adopted in 1971 by the United Nations General Assembly, it was declared that the United Nations Day would henceforth be celebrated as an international holiday and it was recommended that it will be maintained as a public holiday by all United Nations member states. The event is instituted primarily to disseminate to people worldwide the aims and accomplishment of the United Nations Organization. The United Nations Day is in-fact part of a longer United Nations Week which spans from the 20th to the 26th of October.

The United Nations Day involves celebratory events such as food festivals showcasing food from around the world and cultural concerts. In-fact the United Nations Day concert is an important part of the day's celebrations at the United Nations Headquarters. The concert for the year 2011 was sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Mongolia. It featured the traditional "long song" and "throat-singing". The previously mentioned oral music forms have henceforth been included in the UNESOC's list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Cultural diversity is the drive-force behind greater development, a step towards leading a more enriching and wholesome intellectual, emotional, moral and spiritual life. It is an important economic growth. Cultural diversity is thus a huge asset and a grand alleviator of poverty and a potent precursor of sustainable development. Moreover a larger and more receptive acceptance and recognition of cultural diversity particularly through innovative use of media are conducive to a better understanding, cooperation and dialogue between nations and varying civilizations and culture.

UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, 2001 and its following dialogues has become the core mandate of the UNESCO. And in celebrating the United Nations Day, the world is encouraged to celebrate these core principles of inter-cultural understanding and synthesis and a larger and more acute sense of being in the world, of belonging to a family, the largest family, the universe.

The aim of celebrating such a day, the United Nations Day, is the essential celebration of the values which this organization spells forth-the principles of humanity, unity, and world peace. Coming into effect after the two world wars and the cold war the United Nations was an attempt to salvage humanity from the scourge of war and the wrath of destruction-most importantly to ensure that the human world would never be subject to such instances of horror again. The promise has since been shouldered by the organization and many efforts to alleviate the human condition have been attempted. 

World Development Information Day is observed on October 24, 2016. In 1972, the United Nations General Assembly decided to institute a World Development Information Day coinciding with United Nations Day on 24 October. The General Assembly had the object of drawing the attention of world public-opinion each year to development problems and the necessity of strengthening international co-operation to solve them.

In recent years many events have interpreted the title of the day slightly differently. These have concentrated on the role that modern information-technologies, such as the Internet and mobile telephones can play in alerting people and finding solutions to problems of trade and development. One of the specific aims of World Development Information Day was to inform and motivate young people and this change may help to further this ai.

Scientist of the day - Clinton Davisson

Clinton Joseph Davisson was a Nobel Prize winning American physicist, known for his discovery of electron diffraction. Born in late nineteenth century to a contract painter father, he had to support his own education from the very start. After graduating from Bloomington High School at the age of 21, he entered the University of Chicago in the same year. However, it took him around seven years to obtain his bachelor’s degree. For the greater part of his college years, he worked at the Princeton University as part time instructor, returning to the Chicago University only for the summer quarters. Rest of the time, he privately studied with eminent academics at Princeton, especially Professor O.W. Richardson. Late,r he did his doctoral work with Richardson and received his PhD in three years. Subsequently, he began his career as an Assistant Professor at Carnegie Institute of Technology; but very soon shifted to Western Electric Company, later renamed as Bell Telephone Laboratories. Here he spent his most productive years and performed the famous Davisson-Germer experiment, which resulted in the discovery of electron diffraction. Afterwards he joined University of Virginia as visiting professor of research, finally retiring from there after eight years. 

 

Childhood & Early Years

• Clinton Joseph Davisson was born on 22 October 1881, in Bloomington, Illinois. His father, Joseph Davisson, was a soldier in the Union Army. In 1865, he settled in Bloomington and began working as a contract painter. His mother, Mary Calvert Davisson, was a teacher. He had one sister, Carrie.
• Clinton Davisson had his early education at Bloomington High School. He graduated from there in 1902 and entered University of Chicago on scholarship; but because of financial reason, had to leave after around four quarters.
• Sometime in 1903, he found employment with a telephone company in Bloomington. Fortunately, Professor Robert A. Millikan, who had spotted his talent, came to his aid at this juncture.
• On his recommendation, Davisson joined the Purdue University in January 1904 as an assistant in the physics department. Subsequently, in the fall of the same year, he went back to Chicago.
• He remained in residence at the University of Chicago for around a year. Then in the fall of 1905, again on the recommendation of Professor R. A. Millikan, Davisson joined Princeton University as a part time Instructor in Physics, a post he occupied until 1910.
• Here too he quickly impressed the professors and whenever his duties permitted him to do so, he studied under renowned academics like Professor Francis Magie, Professor E. P. Adams, Professor James Jeans and Professor O.W. Richardson. He also had the good fortune to assist Professor Richardson in his researches during this period.
• Also from 1905 to 1908, each year he returned to the University of Chicago for the summer quarters, thus completing his course. Finally in August 1908, he received his B.Sc. degree from the institution.
• Afterwards, he began his doctoral work under Professor Richardson at the University of Princeton and at the same time continued working as a part time instructor till 1910. He was awarded a Fellowship in Physics at the same institute for the year 1910-1911.
• Finally, Clinton Joseph Davisson completed his Ph.D in Physics in June 1911. His thesis was titled ‘On The Thermal Emission of Positive Ions From Alkaline Earth Salts’.

   

  Major Works
• Davisson’s experiment on electron diffraction was his most important work. In 1927, working with Germer, he discovered that when a beam of electrons is reflected from a metallic crystal it shows diffraction patterns similar to those of electromagnetic waves like X-rays.

• Known as Davisson–Germer experiment, it played an important role in demonstrating the wave–particle duality of electrons, as established by de Broglie hypothesis. Later, it also helped to establish quantum mechanics and the Schrödinger equation.

Awards & Achievements

• In 1937, Davisson received Nobel Prize in Physics for his “experimental discovery of the diffraction of electrons by crystals". He shared the prize with George Paget Thomson, who independently worked on the same topic.
• He was also awarded with the Comstock Prize by the National Academy of Sciences in 1928; the Elliott Cresson Medal by the Franklin Institute in 1931, the Hughes Medal by the Royal Society (London) in 1935.

Personal Life & Legacy

• While working at the University of Princeton, Clinton Davisson met Professor O.W. Richardson’s sister Charlotte. They got married on August 4, 1911, just before he joined Carnegie Institute of Technology as Assistant Professor
• The couple had four children; three sons named Clinton Owen, James Willans and Richard Joseph and a daughter named Elizabeth Mary. James and Richard later followed their father’s footsteps and became research physicists.
• In 1954, Davisson retired from University of Virginia. He was now seventy-four and physically very weak. However, his mind was equally alert and his interest in scientific matters was high as before. Even at this stage, one could see him sitting for hours, trying to solve different scientific problems.
• Clinton Davisson died peacefully in sleep at his home in Charlottesville, Virginia on the night of February 1, 1958

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

The United Nations’ (UN) International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is observed on October 17 each year since 1993. It promotes people’s awareness of the need to eradicate poverty and destitution worldwide, particularly in developing countries.

What Do People Do?

Various non-government organizations and community charities support the Day for the Eradication of Poverty by actively calling for country leaders and governments to make the fight against poverty a central part of foreign policy. Other activities may include signing “Call to action” petitions, organizing concerts and cultural events, and holding interfaith gatherings that may include a moment of silence.

Background

The observance of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty can be traced back to October 17, 1987. On that date, more than 100,000 people gathered in Paris, France, to honor the victims of extreme poverty, violence and hunger. Since that moment, individuals and organizations worldwide observed October 17 as a day to renew their commitment in collaborating towards eradicating poverty. In December, 1992, the UN General Assembly officially declared October 17 as the date for the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (resolution 47/196 of December 22, 1992).

In December 1995, the UN General Assembly proclaimed the First United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997–2006), following the Copenhagen Social Summit. At the Millennium Summit in 2000, world leaders committed themselves to cutting by half the number of people living in extreme poverty by the year 2015.

Symbols

The United Nations Postal Administration previously issued six commemorative stamps and a souvenir card on the theme “We Can End Poverty”.  These stamps and the souvenir card featured drawings or paintings of people, particularly children, working together in the fight against poverty. Many of these images used strong colors and contrasts.  These stamps resulted from an art competition where six designs were selected from more than 12,000 children from 124 countries.

Note: Although the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty was first officially celebrated by the UN in 1993, many people around the world celebrated the day annually on October 17 since 1987.

Dr.A P J Abdul Kalam's 85th Birth Anniversary

World Egg Day

 

World Egg Day

World Egg Day is celebrated every year on the second Friday in October. On World Egg Day, events are held across the world celebrating the egg.

The first World Egg Day was celebrated in 1996 and since then we have seen a variety of wonderful events taking place internationally, with people enjoying and celebrating the wonderful versatility of the egg.
There is so much to celebrate – Eggs have the potential to feed the world
Eggs have a vital role to play in feeding people around the world, in both developed and developing countries.  They are an excellent, affordable source of high quality protein, with the potential to feed the world.

This year World Egg Day is Friday 14th October

Whether you celebrate World Egg Day every year, or this will be your first time, make sure that this year on Friday 14th October, you get cracking and help to make this World Egg Day the biggest and the best ever. To help to get you in the mood, and start making plans, here are some examples of things that have been done in the past …

• Cook-off to find the region’s or nation’s fastest omelette maker.
• Family festivals – festivals have been held around the world, putting on eggciting fun and games for the whole family. Past festivals have included egg drawing competitions, egg throwing challenges, recipe contests and cooking competitions, as well as music and entertainment to bring people of all ages together to enjoy eggs.
• Recipe books containing a selection of delicious recipes using eggs.
• Shopping Centre cooking demonstrations and cook-offs.
• Tasty, nutritional seminars explaining the benefits of eggs.

Or, why not try …..

• Organising events for school and pre-school children. Encourage children to have fun with eggs, while teaching them about the nutritional benefits. Perhaps organise a sponsored egg and spoon race, with the money being donated to a national or international food project, or local community projects.
• School/community cooking competitions; who can create the best recipe incorporating eggs, or cook the tastiest dish?

These are just a few of our ideas, and some examples of things that have been done in the past. We hope that they help to inspire you, and we are sure you will have many more exciting ideas about how to celebrate the egg. Go on, get cracking!

World Sight Day 2016

World Sight Day

World Sight Day is a global event that focuses on bringing attention on blindness and vision impairment. It is observed on the second Thursday of October each year. 

What Do People Do?

The World Health Organization (WHO), which is the UN’s directing and coordinating authority for health, and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) are actively involved in coordinating events and activities for World Sight Day. Associations such as Lions Clubs International have also been actively involved in promoting the day on an annual basis for many years.
Many communities, associations, and non-government organizations work together with WHO and IAPB to promote the day for the following purposes:

• To raise public awareness of blindness and vision impairment as major international public health issues.
• To influence governments, particularly health ministers, to participate in and designate funds for national blindness prevention programs.
• To educate target audiences about blindness prevention, about VISION 2020 and its activities, and to generate support for VISION 2020 program activities.

Some people plant trees to commemorate World Sight Day and while others submit a photo for an international photo montage that focuses on the theme of blindness. Other activities include taking part in awareness-raising walks or distributing and displaying posters, bookmarks, booklets and other forms of information the raise awareness about preventable blindness.

Background

The world's population is ageing and people are living longer but blindness from chronic conditions is also rising, according to WHO. About 80 percent of the world's 45 million blind people are aged over 50 years. About 90 percent of blind people live in low-income countries, where older people, especially older women, face barriers to getting the necessary eye health care. Yet, many age-related conditions leading to blindness – such as cataract, refractive error and glaucoma – can be easily and cheaply treated or cured. Timely intervention can often delay or reduce their effects on vision.

Lions Clubs International partnered with blindness prevention organizations worldwide to commemorate the first World Sight Day on October 8, 1998. This event was later integrated into VISION 2020, a global initiative that the IAPB coordinates. This initiative is a joint program between WHO and the IAPB. It involves non-government organizations, and professional associations, as well as eye care institutions and corporations.

Happy Dasara

Indian Air Force Day

Scientist of the day - Ernest Walton

Ernest Walton was an Irish physicist who shared the 1951 Nobel Prize in Physics with John Crockcroft for their work on splitting the atomic nucleus. He was first person in the history to artificially split the atom and was instrumental in the development of nuclear power. Born to a Methodist minister father and his childhood saw him moving from town to town on a regular basis. He studied as a boarder at the Methodist Belfast College and excelled in science and mathematics. He won scholarships to Trinity College, Dublin for studying mathematics and science. He completed his bachelor’s and master’s degree from Trinity and thereafter got a research fellowship to work as a researcher at Trinity College, Cambridge. At Cambridge University, he worked at the famous Cavendish Laboratory under Lord Rutherford and before long he started working in collaboration with John Cockcroft on atom splitting that opened up a new chapter in modern nuclear physics. It also led to the confirmation of the theories pertaining to the atomic structure that were propounded by other scientists. Subsequently he started working at Trinity College, Dublin as a fellow and spent the rest of his career at the college. He was made the Erasmus Smith Professor of Natural and Experimental Philosophy at Trinity College. 

Childhood & Early Life

• Ernest Walton was born 6 October 1903, in Dungarvan, Ireland to Reverend John Walton and Anna Sinton. His father was a Methodist minister and his occupation made him move from one place to another, which meant that the rest of the family did the same. His mother passed away in 1906
• Throughout his childhood he stayed in several places like Rathleake and County Monaghan among others at different stages. Initially he attended schools in Down and Tyrone before studying at Wesley College Dublin. In 1915, he joined the Methodist College Belfast as a boarder.
• In 1922, he won a scholarship to study at Trinity College in Dublin. At Trinity College, he studied the courses in both mathematics honours and honours in experimental science and four years after joining the college he graduated in both. In 1927, he completed his master’s from Trinity College.

  Major Works

  • His collaboration with Cockcroft that helped in producing the Cockcroft-Walton generator that helped in confirming the atomic structure and also showed how bombardment can help split the nucleus of an atom is his most important work. It laid in starting a new era in the field of nuclear physics and he also shared the Nobel Prize in Physics for his research.

  
  

  Awards & Achievements
• In 1938, Walton and Cockcroft shared the Hughes Medal awarded by the Royal Society of London “for their discovery that nuclei could be disintegrated by artificially produced bombarding particles.”  In 1951, he shared the Nobel Prize in Physics with John Cockcroft for his work on ‘atom smashing’.

Personal Life & Legacy

• In 1934, Ernest Walton got married to Freda Wilson, who had also been a student of the Methodist College. The couple had four children; two sons and two daughters.
• Ernest Walton died on 25 June 1995, at the age of 91, in Belfast, Ireland.

 

World Teachers' Day

The United Nations' (UN) World Teachers' Day celebrates the role teachers play in providing quality education at all levels. This enables children and adults of all ages to learn to take part in and contribute to their local community and global society. 

What Do People Do?

Various events are arranged in many countries around the world on or around October 5. These include celebrations to honor teachers in general or those who have made a special contribution to a particular community. The day may also be marked by conferences emphasizing the importance of teachers and learning, extra training sessions for teachers, recruitment drives for the teaching profession among university students or other suitably qualified professionals and events to increase the profile of teachers and the role they play in the media.

Trade unions or other professional organizations that represent teachers play an important role in organizing World Teachers' Day events in many countries. These include:

• The Australian Education Union.
• The Canadian Teachers' Federation.
• The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (Canada).
• The All India Secondary Teachers' Federation.
• The Japan Teachers' Union.
• The Teachers Council (New Zealand).
• The National Union of Teachers (United Kingdom).
• The National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (United Kingdom).
• The National Education Association (United States).

Moreover, international organizations such as TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) and Education International organize international, national and local events. In some areas posters are displayed and pupils and ex-pupils are encouraged to send e-cards or letters of appreciation to teachers who made a special or memorable contribution to their education.

Background

On October 5, 1966, the Special Intergovernmental Conference on the Status of Teachers in Paris, France, was closed and the "Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers" was signed by representatives of UNESCO and International Labour Organization. On October 12, 1997, the 29th session of UNESCO's General Conference was opened. During this conference, on November 11, 1997, the "Recommendation concerning the Status of Higher Education Teaching Personnel" was adopted.

On October 5, 1994, the first World Teachers' Day was held. This event has been organized on the same date each year since then. However, local events may be on some other date close to October 5, so that they do not fall during fall (northern hemisphere) or spring (southern hemisphere) school vacations. In 2002, Canada Post issued a postage stamp to commemorate World Teachers' Day.

World Animal Day

 

World Animal Day

 

It's all about animals on October 04, 2016 – the World Animal Day (WAD). This is an international awareness day and puts the harm of animals caused by humans into the centre of attention. Often farm animals and pets are kept under bad conditions and neglected. It was Heinrich Zimmermann, a German-Jewish author, who made an application to initiate a day dedicated to animals, in 1931 on the convention of ecologists in Florence. He had fought for animal rights for many years. His suggestion had been effectuated in shape of World Animal Day.

Animal rights groups support the rights of animals on a global basis on World Animal Day. They should be treated like living creatures and not as products or things. A species-appropriate husbandry means to care for medical treatment, feed them, and give them enough space and love. Extremely crucious treatments like violence, neglect or too long periods of transports are blasted. Very often animal homes, shelters and animal clinics organize open house on World Animal Day. Everyone shall be encouraged to rise up against cruelty towards animals.

World Animal Day takes place on the Saint's day of Francis of Assisi. He was very fond of animals and godly monk. From his point of view even the smallest worm has to be seen as a creation of god and needs to be protected and honored. During his life he preached that animals are equal to humans and it is our sacred duty to protect them and treat them kind. That is exactly the basic idea of the modern World Animal Day.

Gandhi Jayanthi

 

International Day of Older Persons

The United Nations' (UN) International Day of Older Persons is celebrated annually on October 1 to recognize the contributions of older persons and to examine issues that affect their lives. 

What Do People Do?

International Day of Older Persons is a special day for older persons or senior citizens all over the world. In many countries, politicians make speeches, particularly those responsible for government departments that focus on senior citizens, at this time of the year. Some radios, televisions or newspapers publish interviews with senior citizens on various issues such as achievements they made to create a better society.

Other activities surrounding this day include: displays of promotional material on the International Day of Older Persons in schools, tertiary institutions, office buildings and public notice boards;  media announcements on the day and activities that promote older persons; and inter-generational cooperation on voluntary activities focused on the environment, health, education or community services.

The World Health Organization (WHO), which is the UN’s directing and coordinating authority for health related issues, and other groups have been actively involved in promoting public awareness and attention on the International Day of Older Persons. Discussions are centered on topics such as: ageing populations and the provision of adequate healthcare for aged persons; volunteer work; social care; and ways to be more inclusive of older persons in the workforce.

Background

On December 14, 1990, the UN General Assembly made October 1 as the International Day of Older Persons, following up on initiatives such as the Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing, which was adopted by the 1982 World Assembly on Ageing and endorsed later that year by the assembly. The International Day of Older Persons was observed for the first time throughout the world on October 1, 1991.

In 1991 the UN General Assembly adopted the United Nations Principles for Older Persons. In 2002 the second World Assembly on Ageing adopted the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing to respond to the opportunities and challenges of population ageing in the 21st century and to promote the development of a society for all ages.

Symbols

The WHO logo is often seen on promotional material for the International Day of Older Persons.  The logo is often featured in the color white on a mid-blue background. It shows a stereographic projection of the Earth centered on the North Pole under a serpent coiled around a staff. Two ears of wheat “cradle” the image. The projection symbolizes the global nature of the organization, while the serpent and staff are known to symbolize medical help and knowledge. Images of older people from different cultures and backgrounds around the world have been also used in UN promotional tools for the International Day of Older Persons.