Maharshi Dhondo Keshav (Annasaheb) Karve was born on 18 April 1858 at Sherwali village in Khed taluka of Ratnagiri district, Maharashtra, in a lower middle-class Brahmin family. His father, Keshav Bapunna Karve, was Manager of the Estate of Barve of Koregaon in Ratnagiri district on a meagre salary.Annasaheb was married twice. After the death of […]
Govind Ballabh Pant was born on December 10, 1887 in village Khoont in Almora. His mother’s name was Govindi. His father, Manorath Pant was a Brahmin of high class. Govind was brought up by his grandfather, Badri Dutt Joshi, who played a prominent part in moulding the youngster’s views. Govind greatly respected his grandfather’s firm
Jawaharlal Nehru (November 14, 1889 – May 27, 1964), also called Pandit Nehru, was the leader of the Congress during and after India’s struggle for independence from the British Empire. He became the first Prime Minister of India at independence on August 15, 1947, holding the office until his death.The son of prominent Congress leader
Mokshagundam Visves-varayya (September 15, 1861-April 12, 1962), popularly known as MV, was an eminent engineer. He was born to Srinivasa Sastry and Venkachamma in Muddenahalli village, 40 miles from Bangalore.MV went to primary school in Chikballapur and high school in Bangalore. His ancestors actually belonged to Mokshagundam village, Giddalur of Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh. They
Bhagwan Das (February 12, 1869 – September 18, 1958) was an philosopher and public figure. For a time he served in the Central Legislative Assembly of undivided India. He became allied with the Hindustani Culture Society and was active in opposing rioting as a form of protest.As a fighter for national freedom from the British
Chandrasekhar Venkata Raman, popularly known as C.V. Raman, was born in Thiruchirapalli, in Tamil Nadu, on November 7, 1888. He was the second of children of Chandrasekhar Iyer and Parvathi Ammal. His father was a professor of Mathematics.At an early age, Raman moved to the city of Visakhapatnam, in Andhra Pradesh, where his father accepted
Rajgopalachari (December 1878-December 25, 1972), known as Rajaji, was an lawyer, writer, statesman and a spiritualist. He was the second Governor-General of independent India. Later he became the Chief Minister of the Madras Presidency.At one time considered Mahatma Gandhi’s heir, this brilliant lawyer from Salem was regarded in pre-independence years as one of the top
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was born on September 5, 1888, at the pilgrim town of Tiruttani near Chennai.He was the second son of a poor couple. It is said that his father did not want his son to learn English, and wanted him to be a priest instead. However, the boy was so talented that his parents
Born on May 19, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska, Malcolm X was a prominent black nationalist leader who served as a spokesman for the Nation of Islam during the 1950s and ’60s. Due to his efforts, the Nation of Islam grew from a mere 400 members at the time he was released from prison in 1952
Born on June 5, 1878, in San Juan del Rio, Durango, Mexico, Pancho Villa started off as a bandit who was later inspired by reformer Francisco Modero, helping him to win the Mexican Revolution. After a coup by Victoriano Huerta, Villa formed his own army to oppose the dictator, with more battles to follow as
Dictator Rafael Trujillo was born on October 24, 1891, in San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic. He became president of the Dominican Republic in 1930 through political manoeuvring and torture. He officially held the office until 1938, when he chose a puppet predecessor. He resumed his official position from 1942 to 1952, but continued to rule by
Born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein on November 7, 1879, Leon Trotsky’s revolutionary activity as a young man spurred his first of several ordered exiles to Siberia. He waged Russia’s 1917 revolution alongside Vladimir Lenin. As commissar of war in the new Soviet government, he helped defeat forces opposed to Bolshevik control. As the Soviet government developed,
Born on March 1, 1922, in Jerusalem, Israel, Yitzhak Rabin served as Israel’s military chief of staff before becoming the country’s first native-born prime minister in 1974. He reclaimed the post in the 1992 elections, and then became known for his historical peace negotiations with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, winning the Nobel Peace Prize in
Burhanuddin Rabbani, born on 20 September 1940, was President of the Islamic State of Afghanistan from 1992 to 1996. After the Taliban government was toppled during Operation Enduring Freedom, Rabbani returned to Kabul and served as a temporary President from November to December 20, 2001, when Hamid Karzai was chosen at the Bonn International Conference
Born in either 383 or 382 B.C., Philip II became Macedonia’s leader in 359, and was officially its king by 357. He used skilled military and diplomatic tactics to expand his country’s territory and influence, and ended up dominating almost all of his neighbouring Greek city-states. He was assassinated in July 336, at the approximate