FAMOUS PEOPLE

Steve Jobs - Famous Pioneer of the PC Revolution

Steve Paul Jobs - Famous Pioneer of the PC Revolution

Name           :   Steve Paul Jobs

   

 

Country        : U.S.A.

Period           :  Born :  24th February 1955                    

                      :  Died  :  5th October 2011 

Cause of death  : Cancer

Age               :  56  years

Adoptive Parents :

Mother         : Mrs. Clara Jobs

Father          :  Mr. Paul Jobs

Biological Parents :

Mother         : Mrs. Joanne Schieble Simpson

Father          : Mr. Abdulfattah Jandali

Spouce(s)     :  Chrisann Brennan and Laurene Powell

Occupation : Cofounder, Chairman, and CEO of Apple Inc.                        Funded Pixar                        Founder and CEO of NeXT Inc Known for Pioneer of the personal computer revolution with Steve Wozniak

Steve Paul Jobs was born on 24th February 1955.  Adopted at birth in San Francisco and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area during the 1960s.  As a senior at Homestead High School, in Cupertino, California, his two closest friends were the older engineering student (and Homestead High alumnus) Steve Wozniak and his countercultural girlfriend, the artistically inclined Homestead High junior Chrisann Brennan. Jobs briefly attended Reed College in 1972 before dropping out, deciding to travel through India in 1974, and study Buddhism.

He co-founded Apple in 1976 in his parent's Los Altos home on Crist Drive in order to sell Wozniak's Apple I personal computer. "Jobs and Woz" gained fame and wealth a year later for the Apple II.  The Apple II dominated the personal computer market until it was destabilized by the introduction of the IBM-PC in 1981.  The Macintosh also instigated the sudden rise of the desktop publishing industry in 1985 with the addition of the Apple LaserWriter, the first laser printer to feature vector graphics.

Jobs did changes for number of times during the period of 1985-1996. After leaving Apple, he took a few of its members with him to found NeXT, a computer platform development company specializing in state of the art, higher end computers for higher-education and business markets.

 

A few years later in 1990, Tim Berners-Lee would use a NeXT Computer to create the first browser for the World Wide Web. In addition to NeXT, Jobs helped to instigate the development of the visual effects industry when he purchased the computer graphics division of George Lucas' company Lucasfilm in February 1986. The new company, renamed Pixar, would eventually produce the first fully computer-generated animated film, Toy Story, an event made possible in part due to Jobs' financial support.

 

Paul and Clara adopted Jobs' sister Patricia in 1957 and the family moved to Mountain View,

California in 1961. It was during this time that Paul built a workbench in his garage for his
son in order to "pass along his love of mechanics." Jobs meanwhile admired his father's
craftsmanship “because he knew how to build anything.

Jobs traveled to India in mid-1974 to visit Neem Karoli Baba at his Kainchi ashram with his
Reed friend (and later Apple employee) Daniel Kottke, in search of spiritual enlightenment.
When they got to the Neem Karoli ashram, it was almost deserted because Neem Karoli Baba
had died in September 1973. Then they made a long trek up a dry riverbed to an ashram of
Haidakhan Babaji. In India, they spent a lot of time on bus rides from Delhi to Uttar Pradesh
and Himachal Pradesh.  After staying for seven months, Jobs left India[24] and returned to
the US ahead of Daniel Kottke.  During this time period, both Jobs and Brennan became
practitioners of Zen Buddhism through the Zen master Kobun. 

 His vision is the entrepreneurial creation myth writ large: Steve Jobs cofounded Apple in his parents’ garage in 1976, was ousted in 1985, returned to rescue it from near bankruptcy in 1997, and by the time he died, in October 2011, had built it into the world’s most valuable company. 

Along the way he helped to transform seven industries: 

            1. Personal Computing

            2. Animated movies

            3. Music

            4. Phones

            5. Tablet Computing

            6. Retail Stores and 

            7. Digital Publishing. 

He thus belongs in the pantheon of America’s great innovators, along with Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Walt Disney. None of these men was a saint, but long after their personalities are forgotten, history will remember how they applied imagination to technology and business.
 

Jobs aimed for the simplicity that comes from conquering, rather than merely ignoring, complexity. Achieving this depth of simplicity, he realized, would produce a machine that felt as if it deferred to users in a friendly way, rather than challenging them. “It takes a lot of hard work,” he said, “to make something simple, to truly understand the underlying challenges and come up with elegant solutions.”

Jobs was worth a million dollars when he was 23 (1978), 10 million when he was 24, and over 100 million when he was 25. He was also one of the youngest "people ever to make the Forbes list of the nation's richest people - and one of only a handful to have done it themselves, without inherited wealth."

The first film produced by the partnership, Toy Story (1995), with Jobs credited as executive producer, brought fame and critical acclaim to the studio when it was released. Over the next 15 years, under Pixar's creative chief John Lasseter, the company produced box-office hits A Bug's Life (1998); Toy Story 2 (1999); Monsters, Inc. (2001); Finding Nemo (2003); The Incredibles (2004); Cars (2006); Ratatouille (2007); WALL-E (2008); Up (2009); and Toy Story 3 (2010). Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, WALL-E, Up and Toy Story 3 each received the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, an award introduced in 2001.

In 2005, Jobs responded to criticism of Apple's poor recycling programs for e-waste in the US by lashing out at environmental and other advocates at Apple's Annual Meeting in Cupertino in April. A few weeks later, Apple announced it would take back iPods for free at its retail stores. The Computer TakeBack Campaign responded by flying a banner from a plane over the Stanford University graduation at which Jobs was the commencement speaker. The banner read "Steve, don't be a mini-player—recycle all e-waste."

In October 2003, Jobs was diagnosed with cancer. In mid-2004, he announced to his employees that he had a cancerous tumor in his pancreas. The prognosis for pancreatic cancer is usually very poor; Jobs stated that he had a rare, much less aggressive type, known as islet cell neuroendocrine tumor.  On August 24, 2011, Jobs announced his resignation as Apple's CEO, writing to the board, "I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come."  Jobs became chairman of the board and named Tim Cook as his successor as CEO. Jobs continued to work for Apple until the day before his death six weeks later.

Jobs died at his Palo Alto, California, home around 3 p.m. on October 5, 2011, due to complications from a relapse of his previously treated islet-cell neuroendocrine pancreatic cancer, resulting in respiratory arrest. He had lost consciousness the day before, and died with his wife, children, and sisters at his side. His sister, Mona Simpson, described his death thus: "Steve’s final words, hours earlier, were monosyllables, repeated three times. Before embarking, he’d looked at his sister Patty, then for a long time at his children, then at his life’s partner, Laurene, and then over their shoulders past them. Steve’s final words were: OH WOW. OH WOW. OH WOW." He then lost consciousness and died several hours later. A small private funeral was held on October 7, 2011, of which details were not revealed out of respect to Jobs's family. At the time of his death, his biological mother, Joanne Schieble Simpson, was living in a nursing home and suffering from dementia. She was not told that he died.

Governor Jerry Brown of California declared Sunday, October 16, 2011 to be "Steve Jobs Day."

Honors and Awards


Statue of Jobs at Graphisoft Park, Budapest.

    2013: Posthumously inducted as a Disney Legend.

    2012: Grammy Trustees Award, an award for those who have influenced the music
               industry  in areas unrelated to performance.

    2007: Jobs was inducted into the California Hall of Fame, located at The California
              Museum for History, Women and the Arts.

    2007: Jobs was named the most powerful person in business by Fortune magazine.

    1989: ’’Entrepreneur of the Decade’’ by Inc. magazine.

    1987: Jefferson Award for Public Service.

    1985: National Medal of Technology (with Steve Wozniak).

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Terry Fox - The Famous Canadian Hero

Name                :   Terrance Stanley Fox
Mother              :   Betty Fox.
Father               :    Rolland Fox
Siblings            :    Two Brothers and One Sister 
Place                 :   Winnipeg, Manitoba
Country            :    Canada
Period               :    Born   :  28th July 1958                  
                          :   Died    :  28th June 1981
Age                   :   22  years
Cause of Death :   Osteogenic Sarcoma (Bone Cancer)
Title-Award       :  Companion of the Order of Canada

Terry Fox was born on July 28, 1958, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, to Rolland and Betty Fox. Rolland was a switchman for the Canadian National Railway. Terry had an elder brother, Fred, a younger brother, Darrell and a younger sister, Judith.  He was an enthusiastic athlete, playing Soccer, Rugby and Baseball as a child.  His passion was for basketball.  In grade 12, he won his high school's athlete of the year award jointly with his best friend Doug Award.

On November 12, 1976, as Fox was driving home to Port Coquitlam, he became distracted by nearby bridge construction, and crashed into the back of a pickup truck.  While his car was left undriveable, Fox emerged with only a sore right knee. He again felt pain in December, but chose to ignore it until the end of basketball season. By March 1977, the pain had intensified and he finally went to a hospital, where he was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, a form of cancer that often starts near the knees. Fox believed his car accident weakened his knee and left it vulnerable to the disease.  He was told that his leg had to be amputated, he would require chemotherapy treatment, and that recent medical advances meant he had a 50 percent chance of survival. Fox learned that two years before the figure would have been only 15 percent; the improvement in survival rates impressed on him the value of cancer research.

An active teenager involved in many sports, Terry was only 18 years old when he was diagnosed with Osteogenic Sarcoma (Bone Cancer) and forced to have his right leg amputated 15 centimetres (six inches) above the knee in 1977.  While in hospital, Terry was so overcome by the suffering of other cancer patients, many of them young children, that he decided to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research.  He would call his journey the Marathon of Hope.  It was a journey that Canadians never forgot.

In the summer of 1977, Rick Hansen, working with the Canadian Wheelchair Sports Association, invited Fox to try out for his wheelchair basketball team. Although he was undergoing chemotherapy treatments at the time, Fox's energy impressed Hansen.  Less than two months after learning how to play the sport, Fox was named a member of the team for the national championship in Edmonton.  He won three national titles with the team, and was named an all-star by the North American Wheelchair Basketball Association in 1980.

After 18 months and running over 5,000 kilometres (3,107 miles) to prepare, Terry started his run in St. John’s, Newfoundland on April 12, 1980 with little fanfare. Although it was difficult to garner attention in the beginning, enthusiasm soon grew, and the money collected along his route began to mount. He ran close to 42 kilometres (26 miles) a day through Canada's Atlantic provinces, Quebec and Ontario. However, on September 1st, after 143 days and 5,373 kilometres (3,339 miles), Terry was forced to stop running outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario because cancer had appeared in his lungs. An entire nation was stunned and saddened. Terry  passed away on June 28, 1981 at the age 22 one month before his 23rd birthday. The Marathon of Hope had collected $24.17 million, enough to have met his goal.Terry The Heroic Canadian was gone, but his legacy was just beginning.

To date, over $650 million has been raised worldwide for cancer research in Terry's name through the annual Terry Fox Run, held across Canada and around the world.  Since his death, Terry's heroic perseverance is honoured through numerous awards and research grants. Funds have continued to be raised for cancer research as more and more people join in the annual run that Terry began.

 

Fox's story was dramatized in the 1983 biopic The Terry Fox Story. Produced by Home Box Office, the film aired as a television movie in the United States and had a theatrical run in Canada.  The film starred amputee actor Eric Fryer and Robert Duvall, and was the first film made exclusively for pay television.  The Terry Fox Story was nominated for eight Genie Awards, and won five, including Best Picture and Best Actor.

A second movie, titled Terry, focused on the Marathon of Hope, was produced by the CTV Television Network in 2005. Fox was portrayed by Shawn Ashmore. He is not an amputee; digital editing was used to superimpose a prosthesis over his real leg. The film was endorsed by Fox's family, and portrayed his positive attitude.  Canadian National Basketball Association star Steve Nash, who himself was inspired by Fox when he was a child, directed a 2010 documentary Into the Wind, which aired on ESPN as part of its 30 for 30 series.

Every September thousands of people, in 60 different countries, take to the streets to run and to continue the dream of a single man. Who could have inspired such participation and what was his cause? The man was Canadian Terry Fox and the cause was to raise money for cancer research. It began when Terry Fox was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma, a form of bone cancer. His right leg was amputated six inches above the right knee. Always an athlete, once Terry recovered he resolved to run across Canada with the goal of collecting one dollar for every Canadian. Terry began his "Marathon of Hope" on April 12, 1980 as he dipped his artificial foot in the Atlantic Ocean. He hoped to dip the same foot in the Pacific at the end of his run. However, the grueling pace that Terry set for himself, through rain or shine, was cut short when doctors discovered that cancer had spread to his lungs.

Honours

September 18, 1980 - Governor General Edward Schreyer presents Terry Fox with the Companion of the Order of Canada. He is the youngest recipient of the award.

December 18, 1980 - Sports editors present Terry with the Lou Marsh Awardfor his outstanding athletic accomplishment.

December 23, 1980 - The editors of Canadian Press member newspapers and the radio and television stations vote Terry, Canadian of the Year.

June 6, 1981 - Simon Fraser University awards Terry the first annual Terry Fox Gold Medal. It is awarded annually to a student showing courage in the face of adversity, as exemplified by Terry Fox, himself, a former student of the university.

July 17, 1981 - British Columbia designates a 2,639-metre (8,658-foot) peak in the Rocky Mountains as Mount Terry Fox.

July 30, 1981 - The 83-kilometre (52-mile) section of the Trans-Canada Highway, between Thunder Bay and Nipigon, is re-named Terry Fox Courage Highway.

July 30, 1981 - The Canadian government creates a $5 million endowment fund to provide scholarships each year called the Terry Fox Humanitarian Award.

August 29, 1981 - Terry is inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.

April 13, 1982/Jan 17, 2000 - A Terry Fox Stamp is issued by Canada Post; prior to this no commemorative stamp had been issued until 10 years after the death of the honouree.

June 26, 1982 - The Thunder Bay Monument, a 2.7-metre (9-foot) bronze statue of Terry, is unveiled at Terry Fox  lookout west of Thunder Bay, Ontario. It is re-dedicated in Ottawa in 1998 and is part of the Path of Heroes.

June 30, 1999 - Terry Fox is voted Canada’s Greatest Heroin a national survey.

July 1, 1998 - The Terry Fox Monumentis re-dedicated in Ottawa, ON and is now part of the ‘Path of Heroes’.

January 27, 2003 - Time Magazine includes Terry in a story called Canada’s Best.

March 14, 2005 - The Terry Fox one dollar coinis unveiled. Terry is the first Canadian to be featured on a circulation coin.

April 12, 2005 - “Terry”, a pictorial book by Doug Coupland, debuts at #1 on the Canadian bestseller list.

September, 2005 - Terry Fox statuesin Port Coquitlam, Victoria, and Prince George, British Columbia are unveiled.

September 11, 2005 - “Terry”A new TV movie airs with an audience of 1.6 million.

October 29, 2007 - The Terry Fox Research Instituteis launched, combining the clinical knowledge of cancer  physicians with advanced laboratory expertise of scientific researchers, overcoming barriers of discipline and geography.

February 27, 2010 - The 2010 Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee creates the Terry Fox Award, presented to an athlete who embodies the values that Terry did, showing determination and humility in the face of obstacles. It is awarded to Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette and Slovenian cross-country skier Petra Majdic.

September 10, 2010 – Canadian basketball star Steve Nash directed “Into the Wind,” an installment of ESPN’s “30 for 30” series. It played on TSN to rave reviews and ESPN donated more than 10,000 copies to Canadians schools.

September 16, 2011 - A new Terry Fox Memorialis unveiled at BC Place in Vancouver. The memorial consists of four individual sculptures, replicating Terry’s running gait, created by renowned artist, Douglas Coupland.

March 28, 2012 - The Canadian Medical Hall of Fameinducts Terry, recognized as a “builder” for his work to raise money for cancer research. Terry is the youngest-ever inductee into the CMHF and the first whose achievements were non-professional.

April 12, 2012 - A new bronze sculpture, depicting the moment Terry began his journey by dipping his artificial leg into the ocean, marking Mile 0, was dedicated in St. John’s, NL.

March 18, 2014 - Many Canadians proudly wear their Terry Fox shirts when travelling around the globe. Now we will all be carrying a little something else "Terry" on our international travels. Passport Canada announced a new epassport which celebrates Canadian history. An image of the iconic Terry Fox Monument in Ottawa can be found on page 31. So make sure when you get your new passport and take your first trip, ask the Immigration Agent to stamp page 31 first!

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Shakunthala Devi - Human Computer

Shakunthala Devi - Human Computer

Country         :  India
Period            :  Born   :  4th November 1929                   
                      :  Died    :  21st April 1923
Place             :  Bengaluru
Age               :  83  years
Spouse          :  Mr. Paritosh Banerji
Title-Award   :  Human Computer

Shakuntala Devi was a calculating child prodigy who was born on November 4, 1939 in Bangalore, India.  Her calculating talents first known while she was doing card tricks with her father when she was three.  Shakuntala Devi was born in Bangalore, India to an orthodox  priestly Brahmin family.  At the age of three she manifested an extraordinary love for numbers and by the time she was five years old, Shakuntala became an expert in Complex Mental Arithmetic. With a divine skill in numbers from the age of three, she has been stunning the whole world with her uncanny skill in computing the most intricate problems mentally, even quicker than the highly sophisticated computers in the world.

Hailed as a “Human Computer” because of her extraordinary talents in solving complex mathematical problems.  Shakuntala Devi also found her place in the Guinness Book of World Records.  She has astonished scientists across the world by her capacity to solve mathematical problems in a jiffy without any mechanical aid.  Usually these complex mathematical calculations are carried at lightning speed on computers.  It can be said that Shakuntala Devi is Blessed with God’s Gift.  Apart from mathematical problems, she is utilizing her amazing talent in the field of astrology.

She was born with this extraordinary talent as from the very childhood; she used to solve arithmetical problems orally in no time.   Manifested an extraordinary love for numbers at the age of 3, she became an expert in complex mental arithmetic at 5.  She had not even the formal education.  On the other hand her father took her to different places to exhibit her prowess.  Soon, her reputation spread all over the country and finally her fame crossed the borders of the country.  Today, she is acclaimed as an accomplished mathematician.  By age six she demonst rated her calculation and memorization abilities at the University of Mysore. At the age of eight she performed her unique gift at the Annamalai University in Southern India and the then Vice Chancellor of the University Rt Hon. V.S. Srinivasa Shastriar P.C., CH, LX.D. called her a “living wonder”. Around the same time she performed in the Osmania University in Hyderabad and the Vizag University. Soon Shakuntala, who displayed her talents to gatherings of distinguished people all over India, came to be acclaimed as a Child Prodigy.   

BBC London, invited her to give her demonstration on television.  Many other countries also invited her.  She was asked very complex questions, solvable by computers only.  But, Shakuntala Devi never faltered and gave the answer after mental calculations.  On June 18, 1980, Shakuntala Devi gave a product of two thirteen-digit figures after multiplying them within only 28 seconds.  The figures were 1894766817799 and 5426462773730, asked by the computer department of Imperial College, London.  In 1976, she amazed the US scientists by giving immediate answers to complex arithmetical problems by her conventional approach.  Shakuntala Devi has delighted world audiences with her lightning-fast computation and her infectious enthusiasm and love for numbers.

Still in her early ages, Shakuntala sailed to Europe in 1950. In London on the 5th of October, 1950, the BBC presented Shakuntala to the viewers of Great Britain. Shakuntala gave quick answers to problems posed by the BBC, but when further questions were given, she challenged the problem as set and said it was worked out wrongly. Mr. Leslie Mitchell, the BBC's interviewer did some quick checking and confessed that Shakuntala was right and the BBC wrong!

At the University of Rome one of her answers to the problems was found to be wrong by the calculating machine, but after re-checking it was found that the machine had made the mistake and not Shakuntala!
In Sydney, Australia, Shakuntala matched her wits against their most sophisticated Computer at that time, "UTECOM" of the University of New South Wales. Questions were set by the then well known Professors Mr. R.G. Smart and Mr. Barry Thornton, the Chief Mathematicians, Seconds before the questions were fed to the computer, Shakuntala had the answers. "It's frightening" remarked Mr. Thornton. Throughout her tours around the world, Shakuntala has performed in Universities, Colleges, Schools, Theatres, and on Television with great distinction. In England on the 27th of September 1973, Shakuntala appeared on the BBC programme "Nationwide" with the distinguished Bob Wellings on the popular ITV programme "Today" and the Televiewers of Great Britain were left in a daze by the "mind-collapsing" performance of Shakuntala Devi. She has received accolades and high letters of appreciation from all these Universities. Shakuntala Devi has also performed in the World Bank - Washington D.C. and the United Nation in the year 1977.

Universities of various countries in which she has performed:
India:
Mysore University –Bangalore, Osmania University – Hyderabad,
Vizag University, Annamalai University, Benares Hindu University
England:
University of Leeds – Yorkshire, Kings College of London, Surrey University,  
University of London, University of Manchester, University of Birmingham
USA:
Southern Methodist university - Dallas, Texas,
USC - University of Southern California - Los Angeles,
UCLA - University of California - LosAngeles, Staynford University – California,
Lehigh University in Pennsylvania,
Columbia University - New York, Princeton University - New Jersey,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology-Boston,   
George Washington University - Washington DC,
Georgia University - Atlanta Georgia,   
State University of Pennsylvania,
Buffalo University and many others in the USA
Canada:
MC Gill University – Montreal, University of Toronto,
MC Master University, York University – Toronto
Australia:
University of New South Wales – Sydney, University of Melbourne
Japan:
Tokyo University

And numerous other universities and schools around the world Awards Received
•   The most distinguished Woman of the year in 1969 at the University of Philippines and a Gold Medal.
•     Ramanujan Mathematical Genius Award in Washington D.C. handed over by the then Ambassador of India in the USA in the year 1988.
There are also various other awards.

Books Authored by MS. SHAKUNTALA DEVI
In 2006 she has released a new book called In the Wonderland of Numbers with Orient Paperbacks which talks about a girl Neha and her fascination for numbers.

In April 2013, Devi was admitted to a hospital in Bengaluru with respiratory problems. Over the following two weeks she suffered from complications of the heart and kidneys.  She died in the hospital on 21 April 2013. She was 83 years old. She is survived by her daughter, Anupama Banerji.

On 4 November 2013, Devi was honoured with a Google Doodle for what would have been her 84th birthday.

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CHANAKYA

  Name           :  Chanakya

 

 

Country        :  India

Period           :  Born :  350 B.C.E.                   

                      :  Died  :  275 B.C.E.

Age               :  75  years

Alma Mater : Takshashila
Profession    : Teacher, Advisor of Chandragupta Maurya
Famous for   : Foundation for Mauryan Empire
Teachings     : Artha Shaastra, Ethics of Political Rules (Chanakya Neeti)

 

   

Chanakya is famous in history of India as a sage-like person who by his political shrewdness and expediency helped in the establishment of the mighty Mauryan empire.  Chanakya was wise, clever, foresighted, determined and deeply read in economics, diplomacy and politics. 

 

 

 

There is a legend that Chanakya was once invited to the court of the Nanda rulers of Magadha where he was insulted.  Chanakya took a vow to cause the downfall of the Nanda dynasty.  With the help of a brave and capable general, Chandragupta, he succeeded in fulfilling his vow and founded a new Mauryan dynasty in Magadha.

 

 

Chanakya expelled the Greek invaders from India with his help again.  Chanakya served as a friend, philosopher, and guide to Chandragupta Maurya.  Chanakya is alsobelieved to be the author of  "Artha Shaastra", the classical Indian treatise on statecraft.  It lays down rules of government and also gives a detailed account of the contemporary state administration.

Chanakya was born in a poor Brahmin family of Takshashila.  His real name was Vishnugupta.  Chanakya is also known as Kautilya, because of his "Kut-Niti" or diplomacy.  He was educated at Takshashila, a great educational centre in those times. 

 

 

In his personal life, Chanakya was like an ascetic and the legend goes that he lived in a mud-hut near the royal palace.  A very famous Sanskrit play, "Mudrarakshasa", has for its theme one of the diplomatic feats of Chanakya.

 

 

Two books are attributed to Chanakya:
1. Arthashastra and
2. Chanakya Niti, also known as Chanakya Neeti-shastra.

The Arthashastra discusses monetary and fiscal policies, welfare, international relations, and war strategies in detail. The text also outlines the duties of a ruler.

Chanakya Niti is a collection of aphorisms, said to be selected by Chanakya from the various shastras.

Chanakya is regarded as a great thinker and diplomat in India. Many Indian nationalists regard him as one of the earliest people who envisaged the united India spanning the entire subcontinent.

The diplomatic enclave in New Delhi is named Chanakyapuri in honour of Chanakya. Institutes named after him include Training Ship Chanakya, Chanakya National Law University and Chanakya Institute of Public Leadership. Chanakya circle in Mysore has been named after him.

 

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 Name           :  Srinivasa Ramanujan - A Famous Mathematician

 

 

 

 

Country        :  India

Period           :  Born :  22nd December 1887                    

                      :  Died  :  26th April 1920

Age               :  32  years

Mother         : Mrs.Komalathammal

Father          :  Mr. K.Srinivasa Iyengar

Spouse         :  Mrs. Janakiammal

 

   

Once of the favourite pastimes of Sri Ramanujan was the construction of magic squares, Playing with numbers.  This one is built round his date of birth, December 22, 1887.  Added any way, vertically, horizontally or diagonally, the numbers add up to 139.  

  

 

Ramanujan was born on 22 December 1887 in Tamil Nadu at the residence of his maternal grandparents  His father, K. Srinivasa Iyengar, worked as a clerk in a sari shop and hailed from the district of Thanjavur.   His mother, Komalatammal, was a housewife and also sang at a local temple.

  

 

 

Knowledge is like the Ocean, says the Indian Tradition: limitless, it knows no boundaries.  

 

 

Mathematics: 

By the time he was about fourteen, his interest in mathematics was unmistakable.  He could solve problems in Trigonometry which some college students in the neighbourhood were struggling with.  And, with the help of those contacts, Ramanujan gained access to a book that was to shape his destiny; this was G.S. Carr's Synopsis of Pure Mathematics.

 

The Indian mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan was born on 22 December 1887 and died on 26 April 1920. It was in recognition of his contribution to mathematics the Government of India decided to celebrate Ramanujan's birthday as the National Mathematics Day every year and to celebrate 2012 as the National Mathematical Year.

In December 2011, as part of the celebrations of the 125th anniversary of Ramanujan's birth, TIFR republished the notebooks in a colored two-volume collector's edition. These were produced from scanned and microfilmed images of the original manuscripts by expert archivists of Roja Muthiah Research Library, Chennai.

 

 

In the midst of his worst sickness, Ramanujan never lost his alertness.  When he was in the nursing home at Putney, London, Mr.Hardy came to visit him.  To humour the patient, Hardy said, "I came by taxi, no. 1729.  What do you find in it?"  

Ramanujan smiled and said, "It is a beautiful number: it is the smallest number, that can be expressed as the sum of two cubes in two different ways." 

1729 = 10³ + 9³ 

1729 = 12³ + 1³   

 

It is generally believed that Mr. Hardy chose Ramanujan and supported him.  But, in characteristic detachment, Hardy says " I owe more to Ramanujan than to anyone else" and in a reminiscent article he added, "It is obvious that my association with Ramanujan and Littlewood was the decisive event of my life.  In a personal rating of mathematicians on the basis of pure talent, Hardy gave himself a score of 25, Littlewood 30, Hilbert 80 and Ramanujan 100.  Theirs was the noblest instance of Indo-British collaboration.

Ramanujan was best known for his greatest theories and methodologies:Landau-Ramanujan Constant 

• Mock theta functions 

• Ramanujan conjecture 

• Ramanujan Prime 

• Ramanujan-Soldner Constant 

• Ramanujan theta function 

• Ramanujan's sum 

• Rogers-Ramanujan identities 

• Ramanujan's master theorem 

Note Books: 

Notebooks 1, 2 and 3 were published as a two-volume set in 1957 by the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai, India. This was a photocopy edition of the original manuscripts, in his own handwriting.  

 

                       

Ramanujan returned to Kumbakonam, Madras Presidency in 1919 and died soon thereafter at the age of 32 in 1920. His widow, S. Janaki Ammal, moved to Mumbai, but returned to Chennai (formerly Madras) in 1950, where she lived until her death at age 94 in 1994.   "Ramanujan's brief life and death are symbolic of conditions in India.  Of our millions how few get any education at all, how many live on the verge of starvation; of even those who get some education how many have nothing to look forward to but a clerkship in some office...  If life opened its gates to them and offered them food and healthy conditions of living and education and opportunities of growth, how many among these millions would be eminent scientists, technicians, industrialists, writers and artists, helping to build a new India and a new world?"                                                              

    -- Sri Jawaharlal Nehru                                                                                             

        Indian first Prime Minister and Freedom fighter. 

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Albert Einstein

Name           :  Albert Einstein - A Scientist - Nobel Prize Winner - Physics

                        

Country        :  Germany, U.S.A.

Period           :  Born :  14th March 1879                     

                      :  Died  :  18th April 1955 

Age               :  76  years

Mother         : Mrs. Pauline Einstein

Father          :  Mr. Hermann Einstein

Albert Einstein was one of the most illustrious scientists of the 20th century.  He made the famous and revolutionary discovery of the Theory of Relativity.  Einstein promulgated his Theory of Relativity in 1905 when his scientific research papers were published.  This discovery established his reputation among the physicists of Europe.  This Theory of Relativity states that the speed of light appears to be the same whether an object is moving rapidly to meet it or going away from it.  

Einstein's Scientific Experiments enabled him to give some new theories regarding space, time and gravitation.  In 1912, Einstein became a Professor at the ZurichPolytechnic(Switzerland).  In 1914, he was invited to become a Professor at Prussian Academy of Science in Berlin.

When Hitler, who had a hatred for Jews, came to power in Germany in 1933, Einstein left Germany and settled permanently in America.  During World War II, he worked for US Navy.

Einstein was born on 14th March, 1879 at Ulma in Germany.  In Switzerland, Einstein completed his early education and spent four years in the Polytechnical Academy of Zurich.  Einstein obtained his Bachelor's Degree in 1900.  He was appointed as an inspector of patents at Berne.  In 1905, he got a Ph.D., from Zurich University.

An International fame to Enistein as a Scientist of a very high calibre came in 1919, when his scientific theories were given recognition by the Royal Society of London.  Thereafter, he made a wide tour across Europe, explaining his views to the Intellectuals.

In 1921,  Einstein was awarded Nobel Prize in Physics.  In 1930, he met Nobel Prize Winner in Literature,  Mr. Rabindranath Tagore.

The next three years were spent by Einstein in Touring around the World, explaining about the scientific theories to the people which became thereby more transparent without changing their contents. 

Einstein developed an appreciation of Music at an early age.  His mother played Piano and she wanted her son to become Violinist.  Einstein said " If I were not a Physicist, I would probably a Musician.  I often think in Music.  I live my day dreams in Music.  I see my life in terms of Music.  I get most joy in my life out of Music.

Einstein's views about religious belief have been collected from interviews and original writings.  He called himself an agnostic, while disassociating himself from the label athiest.  He said he believed in the "Panthiestic God" Baruch Spinoza.

Throughout of his life, Einstein published hundreds of books and articles.  In addition to the work which he did by himself, he also collaborated with other Scientists on the additional projects including the "BOSE - EINSTEIN STATISTICS" .

The Annus Mirabilis" papers are four articles pertaining to the Photoelectric Effect(Quantum Theory), Brownian Motion, the Special Theory of Relativity and E = mc²  that Albert Einstein published in the Annalen Der Physik Scientific Journal in 1905.  These four works contributed substantially to the foundation of Modern Physics and changed views on Space, Time and Matter.  

On 17 April 1955, Albert Einstein experienced internal bleeding caused by rupture of an abdominal aneurysm.  Einstein refused surgery, saying "I want to go when I want.  It is tasteless to prolong the life artificially, I have done my share, it is time to go.  I will do it elegantly."  He died in Princeton Hospital early the next morning at the age of 76, having continued to work until near the end.

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Swami Vivekananda - A Spiritual Leader and Saint

Name           :  Swami Vivekananda - A Spiritual Leader

(Born Name - Narendranath Datta)

 

 

Shree Swami Vivekananda's Religious Speech at Chicago

 

Country        :  India

Period           :  Born :  12th January 1863                     

                      :  Died  :  4th July 1902Age               

                      :  39 years

Mother         : Smt. Bhuvaneshwari Devi

Father          :  Shree Vishwanath Datta

           Swami Vivekananda was one of the Prominent Leaders of  the Indian Religious and Cultural Renaissance.  He is revered both in the East and the West as a rejuvenator of mankind through the eternal truths of Hinduism.  Vivekananda gave a message of Man-Making and Nation-Building, and in fact, inspired a generation of leaders.  He delved deep into Literature, Philosophy and History and was gifted with Oratorial Power.

In 1893, he went to Chicago as a representative of  India At the Parliament of All Religions of the World.  On 11th September he  delivered his historical speech which made his learned audience bow their heads in reverence.  Swami Vivekananda declared that Indian Culture was based on Spiritualism while the basis of Western Culture was Materialism.

In fact, he was the first person who made India's greatness known to the World.  In 1897, he founded Ramakrishna Mission for the service of Indian Society.

The real name of Swami Vivekananda was Narendranath Datta.  He was born on 12th January 1863 in Calcutta.  He was the most popular and very inquisitive student.  He transformed into a great yogi, when he met his Guru Shree Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, who was the devotee of Goddess Kali.  

After the death of his Guru Shree Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Swami Vivekananda took up the task of spreading the message of love and spiritualism among the mankind.

By writing inspiring books like Yoga, Rajayoga, and GyaanaYoga, Swami Vivekananda showed a new path to the younger generations.  Swami Vivekananda Memorial built at Kanyakumari tells us even today the story of greatness of Swami Vivekananda. 

On 4th July, 1902, Swami Vivekananda attained Mahaa Samaadhi, the rupture of a blood vessel in his brain, was reported as a possible cause of death.  His disciples beleived that the rupture was due to his Brahma Randhra, being pierced when he attained Mahaa  Samaadhi.

Swami Vivekananda fulfilled his prophecy that he would not live 40 years.

In India, Swami Vivekananda is regarded as a Patriotic Saint and, his birthday is celebrated as National Youth Day in India.