Histroy of Goa

The Portuguese rule in Goa lasted for as long as 450 years. The history of the Portuguese in Goa was similar to the British in India. It is interesting to know that while the Portuguese ruled Goa, their country itself was ruled by Spain from the late 16th century for a period of 60 years. The period is known as the 1580 Portuguese succession crisis and is known to be a result of the death of a young king Sebastian of Portugal.

Although Goa is prevailing as a legacy of the Portuguese colonial era, in fact, its history dates back to as early as in the antiquity during which facts were mingled with mythology. However, the evident history of Goa is that it was part of the Mauryan Empire (the 3rd century B.C).

For the next 700 years, Goa was ruled by the succession of Hindu dynasties such as the Shillaharas, the Kadambas, and the Chalukyans. Until 1312, Goa was controlled by the Muslims, and it began to rise as an important landing place for ships carrying horses to Hampi.

By the late 15th century, upon the discovery of a new route to India by the bank of Portuguese adventurers, including Vasco de Gama, Goa became the ideal base for the seafaring Portuguese who determined to overcome the manipulation of the spice route from the East. In the meantime, the Portuguese also took the occasion to spread Christianity – the result the expansion, the consolidation of Portuguese cultures, languages and other legacies of values of the Christian world into Goa. Owing to the wealth gained from the spice trade during the Portuguese domination, Goa came into its golden age.

It became the largest city in the East, boasting of no less than 300 churches within town, and having a population of over 40,000 people. It was also the vice imperial seat of the Portuguese Empire of the East. Despite its decayed power due to the competition of the British, French, and Dutch as well as its inadequate ability to control all over its far-flung territory, the Portuguese continue to dominate Goa until the 20th Century.

There were a series of efforts from the Indian Government to discuss with the Portuguese on the withdrawal from Goa, but the issue seemed to be intractable due to the Portuguese's ignorance. On December 17, 1961, Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru then decided to order the military invasion and liberation of Goa. The operation ended with the surrender of the Portuguese Governor General Vassalo da Silva.

History of Computer

The computer as we know it today had its beginning with a 19th century English mathematics professor name Charles Babbage.
He designed the Analytical Engine and it was this design that the basic framework of the computers of today are based on.
Generally speaking, computers can be classified into three generations. Each generation lasted for a certain period of
time,and each gave us either a new and improved computer or an improvement to the existing computer.
First generation: 1937 – 1946 - In 1937 the first electronic digital computer was built by Dr. John V. Atanasoff and Clifford Berry. It was called the Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC). In 1943 an electronic computer name the Colossus was built for the military. Other developments continued until in 1946 the first general– purpose digital computer, the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) was built. It is said that this computer weighed 30 tons, and had 18,000 vacuum tubes which was used for processing. When this computer was turned on for the first time lights dim in sections of Philadelphia. Computers of this generation could only perform single task, and they had no operating system.
Second generation: 1947 – 1962 - This generation of computers used transistors instead of vacuum tubes which were more reliable. In 1951 the first computer for commercial use was introduced to the public; the Universal Automatic Computer (UNIVAC 1). In 1953 the International Business Machine (IBM) 650 and 700 series computers made their mark in the computer world. During this generation of computers over 100 computer programming languages were developed, computers had memory and operating systems. Storage media such as tape and disk were in use also were printers for output.
Third generation: 1963 - present - The invention of integrated circuit brought us the third generation of computers. With this invention computers became smaller, more powerful more reliable and they are able to run many different programs at the same time. In1980 Microsoft Disk Operating System (MS-Dos) was born and in 1981 IBM introduced the personal computer (PC) for home and office use. Three years later Apple gave us the Macintosh computer with its icon driven interface and the 90s gave us Windows operating system.

Parliament House (India)

History

Originally called the House of Parliament, it was designed by the British architect Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker in 1912-1913 and construction began in 1921. The opening ceremony of the Parliament House, then called the Central Legislative Assembly, was performed on 18 January 1927 by Lord Irwin, the then Viceroy of India. The third session of Central Legislative Assembly was held in this house on 19 January 1927.

The Parliament Museum, opened in 2006, stands next to the Parliament House.

Rear Admiral Lord Mountbattenaddressing the Chamber of Princes asViceroy in 1947

The shape is circular, which is based on the Ashoka Chakra. Separate halls were constructed for the sessions of the Chamber of Princes, the State Council, and the Central Legislative Assembly.

The building is surrounded by large gardens and the perimeter is fenced off by sandstone railings (jali) modeled after the Great Stupa of Sanchi.
Central Hall

U.S. President Barack Obamagiving a speech to both houses in a Joint Session of the Parliament in the central hall (November 2010)

The Central Hall of the Parliament is designed to be circular in shape. The dome is 98 ft. (29.87 metres) in diameter and is believed that it is one of the most magnificent domes in the world. The Central Hall is a place of historical importance in India for two reasons: The transfer of colonial power to the Provisional Government under Nehru in 1947 and the framing of the Constitution by the Constituent Assembly took place in this very hall. At present, the Central Hall is used for holding Joint Sittings of the two Houses. At the commencement of the first session after each General Election to Lok Sabha and at the commencement of the first session of each year, the President addresses both the Houses of Parliament assembled together in the Central Hall. When the Houses are in session, the Central Hall is used by Members for informal discussions among themselves. Central Hall is also used for special occasions when the Members of Parliament are addressed by distinguished Heads of States of other countries. The Hall is also equipped with Simultaneous Interpretation System.
Proposal for a new building.

A new Parliament building may replace the existing complex. The new building is being considered on account of the stability concerns regarding the current complex. A committee to suggest alternatives to the current building has been set up by the ex-Speaker, Meira Kumar. The present building, an 85-year-old structure suffers from inadequacy of space to house members and their staff and is thought to suffer from structural issues. The building also needs to be protected because of its heritage tag.

The Untold Stories Of Mahatma Gandhi

I feel like a kid who is receiving a lot of awards and gifts today.

Today is a day of gifts.

It is often said, ‘Life itself is a gift from God, to all of us.’ Let us honor this gift.

Today I thank the Morehouse College, the Dean, the President and all the dignitaries here who have found me worthy of getting this award and bestowing this award to me.

I rededicate this award to all those who work ceaselessly in their silent manner, in their little corners, in their community for peace and non-violence.

This recognition of peace and non-violence as a driving force for social change, social justice is noteworthy.

There are medals for war, people who fight in wars do get medals. But getting a medal for peace and non-violence, in itself, changes the paradigm of society.

Unfortunately, in the last several decades, aggression has got itself attached to pride. It is time now, that we reverse this tendency. Pride should be in non-violence and in peace.

When we were growing up as children, we grew up with stories of Mahatma Gandhi. I want to tell you about my teacher who is still alive, and who has completed 118 years of his life today. This gentleman taught Mahatma Gandhi the scripture, Bhagavad Gita, when he came back from South Africa. And he was with him for 40 years as his tutor, and also as his writer.

He used to be the translator and script writer for the southern languages. His name is Pandit Sudhakar Chaturvedi.

So he used to tell us the stories or the incidents he had with Mahatma Gandhi. Some of them are not recorded, so you don’t find them in any books. I would like to narrate a few such stories which might inspire you.

One incident was when Mahatma Gandhi was travelling in a small train uphill to Darjeeling. Darjeeling is a hill station in India, and you have a small train that goes there. It is a narrow gauge train. Now what happened is that, when the train was moving up the hill, somewhere, the engine got itself disconnected from the coaches. So the engine went ahead and the coaches started sliding backward.

Just imagine on a big hilly terrain, coaches are sliding backward, what would happen? There was huge panic, as people were between life and death. Any moment the coaches could fall off the hill, and one would not even find a trace of a bone. It was the Himalayas.

So while there was panic all around, Mahatma Gandhi was dictating letters, and he said to my teacher; he used to call him Bangalori, because he was from Bangalore; ‘Bangalori, take dictation.’

My teacher said, ‘Bapu (father, referring to Mahatma Gandhi), do you know what is happening? We may not be alive. We are in-between life and death. The coaches are moving backward with nothing to stop it, and its gaining speed.’

Do you know what Mahatma Gandhi said then? He said, ‘Suppose we get saved, we would have wasted all this time. If we die, we die. But if we are saved, we wasted so much time? So, come on, take dictation.’

With trembling hands my teacher was taking dictation.

He used to tell me, ‘Look at this old man, he would not waste a moment of his life.’

There is another story I would like to share with you.

Once Gandhi’s dhoti, i.e., his garment was torn, and someone said, ‘Bapu, your dhoti is torn.’ So Gandhi goes into the bathroom and adjusts his garments a little bit, and then says, ‘See now, and tell me where it is torn? There is a lot of it left to get torn.’

So his idea was not to waste resources; not to be a consumerist by nature.

There is enough for everybody’s need, but not for everybody’s greed - this was the message he used to give.

Gandhi had such a soft heart like that of a child; innocence of a child.

What is needed today is the innocence of Gandhi, and the valor, vigor, commitment and vision of Martin Luther King Jr. These two things combined together, is the answer for the situation we are in today.

I won’t say that Gandhi’s principles alone will work in today’s scenario. If you are fasting, people will say, ‘You keep fasting, never mind. You can do that much good for the world.’ You need along with that, the heart and the commitment that Martin Luther King had shown to the world. Then it makes it complete, and then social justice, and the much needed revolution in today’s world would come forth. And it has to come forth from the youth of today. All of you who are sitting here, you have to stand up for non-violence.

In the United States of America, last year alone, there has been ten million recorded incidents of violence. Violence against children, violence against women, violence against races, violence against religious groups, etc. Intolerance is growing in society. But we don’t need to panic, because truth and non-violence will always win.

What we need to do is to create a billion acts of non-violence. For every act of violence, we have to create hundred acts of non-violence. The voice of non-violence has to be heard loud and clear. This is what we need.

We all sang today, ‘We will be the change that we want to see in the world.’ So the change starts from right here, where we are; from each one of us.

Another incident of Mahatma Gandhi that my teacher used to share.

My teacher was in Yerwada jail, along with Mahatma Gandhi. There were only three of them, Mahatma Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi’s wife Kasturba Gandhi, and my teacher.

This incident is of the last day of Kasturba Gandhi. She was on her death bed, and Mahatma Gandhi comes out of the room, and he says, ‘Bangalori, today is the day of my trial. Today is the day to see how I can maintain my equanimity. How I can see everybody in the same way. Today is the day of my test.’

As he was saying these words, drops of tears were flowing down his eyes.

My teacher said, ‘I have never seen him in that state ever before. But those drops of tears said it all.’

Mahatma Gandhi said, ‘Today, I have to say good-bye to my companion of 40 years. She was my strength, she was my inspiration, and she was the one who took all my garbage, all my weaknesses and who swallowed it and stood by my side. Now, today, I have to keep myself in equanimity. Today is the test of my spirituality.’

So, these moments in life, where you personally observe, watch, understand yourself, and see what is happening within you, makes a big difference in your life.

Who are you? What do you want, and what do you want to convey? Observing this, makes a difference.

Do you know, neither at school, nor at home, does anyone learn how to get rid of negative emotions, or how do be centered, or how to feel belongingness with everyone. This is exactly what we need today. We need to reach out to communities.

Communities can no longer remain as isolated groups. Each community should come and shake hand with the other communities.

I am so happy that the Ikeda Foundation is also involved here and they are doing such good work in so many countries, bringing different communities together.

The teachings of Buddha, the teachings of Jesus and the teachings of Krishna, they all point towards one thing, that we are all made up of love, and we are love. Let us live this. Let us find an expression to this. Let us recognize this spirit in each one of us.

The message of Jesus is, ‘You are love and God is love.’ The interfaith community has a bigger role to play today, of uniting the fragmented communities, and reaching out to all those people who are engaging in violence. This is inclusive of domestic violence and societal violence. Also, being violent towards oneself, is a thing to be considered.

Many people eventually commit suicide because they are too hard on themselves. Thousands of people are committing suicide in the world today. Depression is taking such a big toll. In these circumstances, we all have to raise our voice and work towards non-violence.

A while back, I was in South America, in Mexico, at the traffic light signal, there was an argument between two taxi drivers. They both got out of the car and shot each other. There were passengers sitting in the taxis and they didn’t know what to do. The drivers were gone. Intolerance and stress have to be attended to.

Let us all join together and in this year create one billion acts of non-violence, acts of friendship, and acts of compassion. Our children should get a better world than what we have inherited.

50 interesting facts about Abraham Lincoln’s life

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president, has a birthday today. So how much do you really know about Lincoln, the man?
We’ve gone through the tons of research available about Abraham (don’t call me Abe) Lincoln, so you can impress your friends and family with your Lincoln knowledge.Here are our top 10 Lincoln facts, followed by 40 other pieces of trivia that you can research on your own.

• 1. He was the only president to have a patent: Lincoln invented a device to free steamboats that ran aground.
• 2. He practiced law without a degree. Lincoln had about 18 months of formal schooling.
• 3. He wanted women to have the vote in 1836. The future president was a suffragette before it became fashionable.
• 4. He was a big animal lover, but he wouldn’t hunt or fish. If he were alive today, Lincoln would be running an animal shelter.
• 5. He really was a wrestler. Lincoln was documented as taking part in wrestling bouts. We don’t think he wore a mask or had a manager.
• 6. He lost in his first bid for a presidential ticket. The unknown Lincoln was an unsuccessful vice presidential candidate in 1856 at the Republican convention.
• 7. He never belonged to an organized church. Lincoln read the Bible daily, but he never joined an organized church in his lifetime.
• 8. He didn’t drink, smoke, or chew. Lincoln was a simple man of tastes, and he never drank in the White House.
• 9. He didn’t have a middle name. Lincoln went through his life with two names.
• 10. He hated being called Abe. Apparently, he preferred being called by his last name.
• 11. Lincoln established Thanksgiving as a national holiday.
• 12. He was the first president born outside of the 13 original states.
• 13. Lincoln loved to eat oysters.
• 14. Lincoln’s cat ate at the White House dinner table.
• 15. His dog was named Fido.
• 16. His cat was named Tabby.
• 17. His favorite food was fruit.
• 18. He was also a big fan of chicken casserole.
• 19. Lincoln was the first president to use the telegraph.
• 20. He used the telegraph like email to communicate with generals.
• 21. Lincoln’s mother was killed by poisoned milk.
• 22. Lincoln’s life was saved twice when he was young.
• 23. Grave robbers were foiled in 1876 when they tried to steal Lincoln’s body.
• 24. He was the first president with a beard.
• 25. Lincoln argued a case before the Supreme Court in 1849 and lost.
• 26. Lincoln failed in his first business.
• 27. Lincoln’s shoe size was between 12 and 14.
• 28. His coffin has been opened five times.
• 29. Lincoln was estranged from his father and didn’t attend his funeral.
• 30. Lincoln didn’t play musical instruments.
• 31. Lincoln served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives.
• 32. He ran for the U.S. Senate twice and lost.
• 33. Lincoln won the popular vote in Senate campaign against Douglas but lost the election.
• 34. Lincoln was shot on Good Friday.
• 35. Lincoln was photographed with John Wilkes Booth at his second inauguration.
• 36. There are no direct living descendants of Abraham Lincoln.
• 37. Booth’s brother saved the life of Lincoln’s son on a New Jersey train platform.
• 38. Lincoln was part of séances after his son died in the White House.
• 39. Lincoln’s animals also died in a White House stable fire.
• 40. Someone shot at Lincoln in 1864 and put a hole in his stovepipe hat.
• 41. Lincoln was the first president to be assassinated.
• 42. He was a judge on the circuit court in Illinois.
• 43. Lincoln defended the son of his most famous wrestling opponent from murder charges.
• 44. Lincoln battled depression for much of his life.
• 45. Lincoln was seemingly obsessed with cats.
• 46. He was set to take part in a duel, but it was cancelled at the last second.
• 47. Lincoln kept his important documents inside his hat.
• 48. Lincoln’s dog Fido was killed by a drunken assailant a year after Lincoln died.
• 49. Lincoln’s suit was made by Brooks Brothers.
• 50. Lincoln’s guest at Ford’s Theater was Ulysses S. Grant, who cancelled at the last second.

India's new 'enclave' citizens in historic first vote

Thousands of people living in enclaves along the Bangladesh border have voted for the first time in India after remaining virtually stateless for six decades.

They became citizens of India last year after Bangladesh and India exchanged more than 160 enclaves located in each other's territory. The enclaves, created in the 18th Century, endured through British colonial rule, the independence of India and the creation of Bangladesh.

On Thursday, the new citizens got their first taste of democracy when they voted in the West Bengal state assembly elections.

Photojournalist Ronny Sen captured the historic occasion.

The 103-year-old first-time voter

Asgar Ali (centre) is 103 years old and voted for the first time in Moshaldanga in Cooch Behar district. Three generations of his family, including his son and grandson, accompanied him to the polling booth. His grandson Jaynal Abedin was keen to mark the occasion with a selfie.

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'Freedom after 200 years'

Abdul Mannan, 61, is a resident of Poaturkuthi, the largest enclave with 1,800 voters. He said three generations of his family lived and died there without an official identity for nearly two centuries. "Today, after nearly 200 years, we got freedom. We have an identity. We had nothing earlier," he said.

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'Finally included'

Maksedul Hoque, 29, said he would often feel left out when his friends from mainland India would talk about politics and elections. "It's something I grew up watching but was never a part of, and that made me feel excluded," he told the BBC. Now after voting, he says he feels more empowered and included. He wants the candidate he voted for to build new roads, hospitals, schools and create jobs for young people.

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'Excited to vote'

Bashanti Shil, 90, came to the polling booth with her grandson Sudama Shil, who is 30. She said she was "very excited" to vote and hoped that participating in elections would bring prosperity and happiness to her family members and everyone in the enclave of Moshaldanga.

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A part of the process

Mizanur Rahman, 37, and his wife Arjina Aktar, 20, excitedly show off their new voting ID cards. Mr Rahman said he wasn't allowed to vote in Bangladesh but saw political campaigns and always wanted to be a part of the process. He said he wanted politicians to fulfil promises to bring growth and prosperity to the region. He added that he hoped for free movement of people between the Indian and Bangladeshi enclaves.

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Voting for development

Rokeya Bibi (right), 20, went to the polling booth with her mother-in-law Majia Bibi. "I want schools and colleges in this area so that my children don't have to travel far," Rokeya Bibi said.

History of Hyderabad State (1948–56)

Hyderabad State was a state in Independent India, formed after the accession of the princely state of Hyderabad into the Indian Union on 24 November 1949. It existed from 1948 to 1956.

Following the States Reorganisation Act Hyderabad State was merged with Andhra State in 1956 and renamed Andhra Pradesh.

HIstroy

Operation Polo, the code name of the Hyderabad "Police Action" was a military operation in September 1948 in which the Indian Armed Forces invaded the State of Hyderabad and overthrew its Nizam, annexing the state into the Indian Union.

At the time of Partition in 1947, the princely states of India, who in principle had self-government within their own territories, were subject to subsidiary alliances with the British, giving them control of their external relations. In the Indian Independence Act 1947 the British abandoned all such alliances, leaving the states with the option of opting for full independence. However, by 1948 almost all had acceded to either India or Pakistan. One major exception was that of the wealthiest and most powerful principality, Hyderabad, where the Nizam, Osman Ali Khan, Asif Jah VII, a Muslim ruler who presided over a largely Hindu population, chose independence and hoped to maintain this with an irregular army recruited from the Muslim aristocracy, known as the Razakars. The Nizam was also beset by the Telangana uprising, which he was unable to subjugate.

The Indian government, anxious to avoid what it termed a Balkanization of what had been the Indian Empire, was determined to effect the integration of Hyderabad into the new Indian Union.  Amidst atrocities by the Razakars, the Indian Home Minister Sardar Patel decided to annex Hyderabad in what was termed a "police action". The operation itself took five days, in which the Razakars were defeated easily.

The operation led to massive violence on communal lines. The Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru appointed a commission known as the Sunderlal Committee. Its report, which was not released until 2013, concluded that "as a conservative estimate...27,000 to 40,000 people had lost their lives during and after the police action." Other scholars have put the figure at 200,000, or even higher.

Military Governor

Major General El Edroos (at right) offers his surrender of the Hyderabad State Forces to Major General (later General and Army Chief) J. N. Chauhuri atSecunderabad.

After the Annexation into the Indian Union, Major General J. N. Chaudhuri who led Operation Polo stayed on as Military Governor till December 1949.

The state witnessed Mulkhi agitation in 1952 by the locals after a government jobs meant for the locals were given to non-locals.

Rajpramukh

telanagana movement Hyderabad State had its last Nizam, HEH Mir Osman Ali Khan (b. 1886 -d. 1967) as Rajpramukh from 26 January 1950 to 31 October 1956.

First Appointed Chief Minister

After the Annexation of Hyderabad State into India, M. K. Vellodi was appointed the Chief Minister of the state on 26 January 1950. He was a Senior Civil servant in the Government of India. He administered the state with the help of bureaucrats from Madras state and Bombay state.

The Nizam was given the ceremonial position of "Raj Pramukh" or "Governor".

First Elected Chief Minister

In the first State Assembly election in India, 1952, Dr. Burgula Ramakrishna Rao was elected Chief minister of Hyderabad State. During this time there were violent agitations by some Telanganites to send back bureaucrats from Madras state, and to strictly implement 'Mulki-rules'(Local jobs for locals only), which was part of Hyderabad state law since 1919.

Districts of Hyderabad State

Administratively, Hyderabad State was made up of sixteen districts, grouped into four divisions:

• Aurangabad Division included Aurangabad, Beed, Nanded, and Parbhani districts;
• Gulbarga Division included Bidar District, Gulbarga, Osmanabad, and Raichur District;
• Gulshanabad Division or Medak Division included Atraf-i-Baldah (Hyderabad), Mahbubnagar district, Medak district, Nalgonda district (Nalgundah), and Nizamabad districts, and
• Warangal Division included Adilabad, Karimnagar, and Warangal districts (present Khammam district was part of Warangal district).

Merger with Andhra State

In 1956 during the Reorganisation of the Indian States based along linguistic lines, the Telugu-speaking region of the state of Hyderabad State was merged with Andhra State. The Marathi speaking region was merged with Bombay state and Kannada speaking region with Mysore State.

The States Reorganisation Commission (SRC) was not in favour of an immediate merger of Telugu speaking Telangana region of Hyderabad state with Andhra state, despite their common language. Para 378 of the SRC report said One of the principal causes of opposition of Vishalandhra also seems to be the apprehension felt by the educationally backward people of Telangana that they may be swamped and exploited by the more advanced people of the coastal areas.

Andhra state and Hyderabad State were merged to form Andhra Pradesh on 1 November 1956, after providing safeguards to Telangana in the form of Gentlemen's agreement. But in June 2014, Telangana re-emerged as a separate state. Hyderabad City will continue to be the capital of both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for 10 years.

Dinosaurs fled Europe over 100 million years ago: study

Dinosaurs fled Europe over 100 million years ago: study Dinosaurs migrated out of Europe between 125 and 100 million years ago after the original super continent broke up, according to a new study that used 'network theory' for the first time to visually depict the movement of dinosaurs around the world.

The research also reaffirms previous studies that have found that dinosaurs continued to migrate to all parts of the world after the 'super-continent' Pangaea split into land masses that are separated by oceans. "We presume that temporary land bridges formed due to changes in sea levels, temporarily reconnecting the continents," said Alex Dunhill, from the University of Leeds in the UK, who led the study. "Such massive structures - spanning, for example, from Indo-Madagascar to Australia - may be hard to imagine," Dunhill said. "But over the timescales that we are talking about, which is in the order of tens of millions of years, it is perfectly feasible that plate tectonic activity gave rise to the right conditions for such land bridges to form," he said. The researchers used the Paleobiology Database that contains every documented and accessible dinosaur fossil from around the world. Fossil records for the same dinosaur families from different continents were then cross-mapped for different periods of time, showing connections that show how they have migrated. Some regions of the world, such as Europe, have extensive fossil records from a long history of palaeontology digs, while other parts of the world have been largely unexplored. To help account for this disparity in fossil records, which could otherwise skew the findings, the researchers applied a filter to the database records to only count the first time that a dinosaur family connection occurred between two continents. The findings support the idea that, although continental splitting undoubtedly reduced intercontinental migration of dinosaurs, it did not completely inhibit it. The research also showed that all connections between Europe and other continents during the Early Cretaceous period (125-100 million years ago) were out-going. While dinosaur families were leaving Europe, no new families were migrating into Europe, researchers said. While network theory is commonly used in computer science for quantifying internet data, such as friend connections on Facebook, it has only recently been applied to biology research and this is the first study to use it to on dinosaur research.

Oak Island Money Pit

Is there treasure deep down?

Throughout history, we’ve never ceased to be enamoured with tales of buried treasure, secret inscriptions, and booby traps. But one of the most enduring treasure mysteries of all time comes from a tiny island off the coast of Nova Scotia in eastern Canada.

Oak Island is the home of what is informally known as the “Money Pit,” an incredibly deep hole of incredibly elaborate construction discovered in 1795.

Over two centuries of excavation have unearthed no treasure thus far, but what has been discovered is arguably just as fascinating. Underneath the surface of the pit are a series of wooden platforms, and even deeper, flooding mechanisms formed from multiple underground canals leading to water.

The first time someone managed to dig deep enough, the entire pit was immediately flooded, and due to the construction of the mechanism, it would fill back up with water as fast as you could remove it. At the 90-foot mark, an inscribed, encoded stone tablet was found that was revealed to say “forty feet below, two million pounds lie beneath.”

In search for whatever the island is hiding, the money pit has attracted the attention of hundreds of search parties, including former president Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who in his youth spent a summer with fellow Harvard grads in search of the treasure. It’s truly a historical oddity, but considering that we’re no closer to finding out who dug the pit and why, after 200 years of searching, one must wonder if we ever will.

The Dancing Plague of 1518

The story of the dancing plague sounds like something straight out of fiction.

On a summer’s day in the town of Strasbourg during the year 1518, a woman began dancing wildly in the street. The day turned into night, the night turned into morning, and she was still dancing.

Within a week, 34 others had joined her, dancing as though they were possessed, without stop, for no apparent reason. And within a month, the number of dancers had reached 400. Religious sermons were called to address the issue.

Physicians were called in to document the event and try to find a solution. And all the while, the dancing worsened. Many became ill or died as a result of exhaustion, strokes, or heart attacks. The authorities eventually decided that the only way the dancers would recover is if they danced it out of their systems.

Gild halls and a grain market were opened to the dancers, and a wooden stage was even constructed for them. Musicians were even brought in to keep those affected moving. Numerous theories have been proposed for the cause of the bizarre event, including poisoning, epilepsy, typhus, mass psychogenic illness, and even secretly coordinated religious rituals, but to this day we still have no answer for this truly unbelievable historical event.

The S.S. Ourang Medan

In June 1947, multiple ships travelling trade routes in the strait of Malacca, off the coast of Malaysia, received a terrifying SOS message that read: “All officers including captain are dead lying in chart room and bridge. Possibly whole crew dead.” After a short period of time, one final message was received, that read simply ... “I die.”

Nearby ships identified the source of the signal as coming from a Dutch freighter, the SS Ourang Medan.

The nearest merchant ship, The Silver Star, travelled as fast as they could to the source of the distress signal. But upon boarding the Ourang Medan, they were horrified by what they found: Every member of the crew lay dead, their corpses scattered on the decks.

The eyes of the men were still open and expressions of sheer terror were frozen on their faces. The Silver Star’s party found the deceased radio operator as well, his hand still on the Morse Code-sending key, and eyes wide open.

But strangely, there were no signs of wounds or injuries on any of the bodies. The Silver Star’s crew decided to tow the ship back to port, but before they could get underway, smoke began emanating from the decks below.

The boarding party quickly returned to their ship and barely had time to escape before the SS Ourang Medan exploded and swiftly sank. Some theorised that clouds of noxious natural gases bubbled up from fissures in the seabed and engulfed the ship, and others have even blamed the occurrence on the supernatural, but to this day, the exact fate of the ships crew remains a mystery.

Dr BR Ambedkar: 7 Facts You May Not Have Known About Him

On his 125th birth anniversary, we bring to you 7 facts you may not have known about him:

• BR Ambedkar was the 14th child of his parents.
• Ambedkar's ancestors had long been in the employment of the British East India Company's army.
• Ambedkar's original name was actually Ambavadekar. But his teacher, Mahadev Ambedkar, who was fond of him, changed his surname from 'Ambavadekar' to his own surname 'Ambedkar' in school records.
• He also held the position of a principal at the Government Law College, Mumbai for 2 years.

• Ambedkar was opposed to Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, which gives a special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
• Ambedkar was the first Indian to pursue an Economics doctorate degree abroad.
• Ambedkar suffered from a severe case of diabetes in the later years.

US forces had orders to target Indian Army in 1971

A set of freshly declassified top secret papers on the 1971 war show that US hostility towards India during the war with Pakistan was far more intense than known until now.

The documents reveal that Indira Gandhi went ahead with her plan to liberate Bangladesh despite inputs that the Nixon Administration had kept three battalions of Marines on standby to deter India, and that the American aircraft carrier USS Enterprise had orders to target Indian Army facilities.

The bold leadership that the former PM showed during the 1971 war is well known. But the declassified documents further burnish the portrait of her courageous defiance.

The documents show how Americans held back communication regarding Pakistan's desire to surrender in Dhaka by almost a day.

That the American establishment had mobilized their 7th Fleet to the Bay of Bengal, ostensibly to evacuate US nationals, is public knowledge. But the declassified papers show Washington had planned to use the 7th Fleet to attack the Indian Army.

They also show that Nixon administration kept arming Pakistan despite having imposed an embargo on providing both Islamabad and New Delhi military hardware and support
They suggest that India, exasperated by continuing flow of American arms and ammunition, had considered intercepting three Pakistani vessels carrying war stores months before the war. The plan was dropped against the backdrop of the Indian foreign ministry's assessment that the interception could trigger hostilities.

The pro-Pak bias of the then US President Richard Nixon and his Secretary of State Henry Kissinger is vividly brought out by their decision to keep three battalions of Marines on standby: a decision which has so far not found mention in any record of the 1971 war.

Documents blame Richard Nixon for Pakistan tilt

A six-page note prepared by India's foreign ministry holds then American president Richard Nixon responsible for the pro-Pakistan tilt during India's 1971 war with her neighbour.

"The assessment of our embassy reveal (sic) that the decision to brand India as an 'aggressor' and to send the 7th Fleet to the Bay of Bengal was taken personally by Nixon," says the note. The note further says, the Indian embassy: "feel (sic) that the bomber force aboard the Enterprise had the US President's authority to undertake bombing of Indian Army's communications, if necessary."

As early as June 1971, New Delhi weighed the possibility of intercepting three Pakistani ships loaded with US weapons. This leaves only two other courses regarding interception: That India may intercept the ships before they reach Karachi, or impose a blockade of the Bay of Bengal. Either of these might involve the use of force and would be treated as acts of war, wrote the director (legal and treaties) of MEA.

On December 14, Gen A A K Niazi, Pakistan's military commander for erstwhile East Pakistan, told the American consul-general in Dhaka that he was willing to surrender. The message was relayed to Washington, but it took the US 19 hours to relay it to New Delhi. Files suggest senior Indian diplomats suspected the delay was because Washington was possibly contemplating military action against India.