Vasco da Gama reaches India, 1498

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First passenger train in the world

BRITAIN, A local holiday was declared for the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway on 27 September 1825. Aware of the importance of the day, crowds clustered around the newly-constructed line in anticipation. They weren’t to be disappointed. Ever the showman, George Stephenson hit speeds of 15mph in his steam locomotive, Locomotion – outpacing the local horses in the process. As one impressed spectator recalled: “The welkin [sky] rang loud with huzzas while the happy faces of some, the vacant stares of others and the alarm depicted on the countenances of not a few, gave variety to the picture”. Conceived primarily to transport coal from collieries to the river Tees at Stockton, this was the first venture in the world to employ steam engines for hauling goods. But the railway also leased out the rights to run passenger services to various operators, including two female innkeepers. Despite the fact that horses were still used far more than the unreliable locomot...

First miss world

Reita Faria was one of the best known Indians worldwide in her times. She is the the first Indian to wear the Miss World crown in 1966. She is a qualified medical practitioner and now resides in Dublin, Ireland, with her husband Dr Colin Powell, whom she married in 1971. The couple has two daughters and five grandchildren. Reita Faria Powel was born in 1945 in Mumbai. Reita grew up in Mumbai with her sister Philomena in a tight-knit Goan family that owned real estate and other businesses. Early Days of Reita Faria Born on 23rd August 1943, Reita Faria was born to Goan parents in Matunga. Although she is a Goan by birth, her childhood days were mostly spent in then Bombay. By above-mentioned ‘Miss World’ title, everyone easily assumes that she had a rich upbringing, but actually, she did not have any of these. Reita was born and brought up in a middle-class family of Mumbai where her father worked at a mineral factory, and her mother owned a salon in Marine Lines. S...

Snakes and Ladders originated from India

The 13th century poet saint Gyandev created the game of Snakes & Ladders. It was originally called ‘Mokshapat’. The ladders in the game represented virtues and the snakes indicated vices. The game was played with cowrie shells and dices. In time, the game underwent several modifications, but its meaning remained the same, i.e. good deeds take people to heaven and evil to a cycle of re-births. Details : Snakes and Ladders originated in India as part of a family of dice board games, including pachisi (modern day Ludo). It was known as moksha patam or vaikunthapaali or paramapada sopaanam (the ladder to salvation The game as popularly played in ancient India was known as Moksha Patam, and emphasized the role of fate or karma. A Jain version, Gyanbazi, dates to the 16th century. The game was called Leela and reflected the Hinduism consciousness surrounding everyday life. Moksha Patam was associated with traditional Hindu philosophy contrasting karma and kama, or destin...

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