June 24: Real leaders are ordinary people with extraordinary determinations.

On this day, 24 Jun...

1873 - Samuel Clemens (the author known as Mark Twain) received a U.S. patent for a self-pasting Scrapbook.  (Earlier, in 1871, Samuel Clemens received his first patent for "An Improvement in Adjustable and Detachable Garment Straps"). 

1894 - Decision was taken to hold modern Olympics every 4 years.

1930 - The first radar detection of aircraft took place (in US).

1943 - Dr. William Randolph Lovelace II jumped out of a B-17 bomber flying at 40,200 feet in order to test the emergency oxygen unit he had designed with colleagues. It was his first ever parachute jump. (An unaided parachutist at such high altitude would quickly lose consciousness due to lack of oxygen, and unable to pull the parachute ripcord when needed. When he opened his parachute, it was the sudden deceleration of 32 g's, which knocked him unconscious. He lost a glove, and in the sub-zero (-40º F) temperature his hand became frostbitten. The oxygen unit kept him alive. He regained consciousness at a lower altitude, and landed almost 24 minutes after he bailed out. His test led to development of automatic parachute opening devices).

1946 - Congress party rejects British plan for provisional govt pending constitution in New Delhi.

1961 Indian Manufactured Supersonic fighter HF24 took to air for the first time.

1963 - The first demonstration of a home video recorder was made at the BBC News Studios in London.  The open-reel recorder was mounted on the top of a television cabinet. Developed by Norman Rutherford and Michael Turner.

1986 – Indian Government announced that unmarried mothers under its employment would also get maternity leave.

1989 - A Majority of Opposition Members in the Lok Sabha Resign on the Issue of the CAG Report on the Bofors Gun Deal.

1990 - Defence scientists in India successfully test fired country's first third generation anti-tank    

1991 - The first-ever BJP ministry led by Kalyan Singh takes over in UP.

2011 - The cell phone of Osama bin Laden's courier is reported to contain contacts with Harakat-ul-Mujahadeen, suggesting potential ties to Pakistan's intelligence agencies.

Born

1885 - Master Tara Singh, freedom fighter and leader of Akali Dal.

1908 - Guru Gopinath, Indian classical dancer.  

1962 - Gautam Adani, businessperson.

RIP

1966 - Bombay-New York Air India flight crashes into Mont Blanc (Switzerland), 117 die.

1980 - Varahagiri Venkata Giri, Fourth President of India. 

Titbits

1916 - Mary Pickford becomes the first female film star to get a million dollar contract. 

1974 - India all out for 42 in Lord's Test cricket in 77 mins.

2010 - Longest match in tennis history: John Isner of the U.S. defeats Nicolas Mahut of France at Wimbledon after 11 hours, 5 minutes of play over three days.

You may have known...

A jellyfish is about 95% water.