History is an old chest, which you open to revive the old memories and unravel the past. They are moments enclosed in this chest of history that need to be cherished, memories that need to be relived, and a little dust of nostalgia and grief. Let us now read the historical milestones of August 14 and unravel the past.
source:telegraph.co.uk
1498 – Christopher Columbus landed at the mouth of the Orinoco River in what is now Venezuela
Christopher Columbus landed at Orinoco River on his third voyage. Venezuela is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many small islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. In 1498, during his third voyage to the Americas, Christopher Columbus sailed near the Orinoco Delta and landed in the Gulf of Paria. He was amazed by the great offshore current of fresh water, which had deflected his course in the eastward direction. Columbus expressed in a letter the beauty of Venezuela by writing “he must have reached Heaven on Earth (terrestrial paradise)”.
1908 – The first beauty contest is held in Folkestone, England.
Miss Folkestone 1908 was the first International Beauty Contest in Britain held at the Pier Hippodrome in Folkestone on 14 August. The admission price of $4 entitled each spectator to three Wing coupons and the whole audience being impaneled as judges. The winner of the first prize was an 18-year-old Miss Nellie Jarman, a shopkeeper’s daughter from East Molesey, Surrey. The prize was a Spencer piano and a reporter from the Folkestone Herald declared that it was very apparent that the audiences were determined to have a native winner.
source:sheldontimeshall.com
1938 – BBC’s 1st feature film on TV (Student of Prague)
The British Broadcasting Corporation is the largest broadcaster in the world and it was on this day in 1938 that BBC aired its first feature film “The Student of Prague.”. The Student of Prague is a German silent horror film that became the first feature film to be aired on TV by BBC.
1947 – Pakistan becomes an independent country.
This day commemorates the day when Pakistan was declared a sovereign state following the end of the British Raj in India. Pakistan came into existence because of the Pakistan Movement, which demanded an independent Muslim state in India via partition. The movement was led by the All-India Muslim League under the leadership of Muhammad Ali Jinnah. The event was brought forth by the Indian Independence Act 1947 under which the British Raj. It granted independence to the Dominion of Pakistan comprising of West Pakistan (present-day Pakistan) and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
2010 – First-ever Summer Youth Olympic Games open, in Singapore.
source:boston.com
The Youth Olympic Games are a sporting event for young people from all over the world. The sports program is based on that of the Olympic Games, with 28 sports featured on the summer program and seven on the winter program. The first YOG was held in Singapore from 14 to 26 August 2010, it was the first International Olympic Committee-sanctioned event held in Southeast Asia. The Games featured about 3,600 athletes aged 14–18 from 204 nations, who competed in 201 events in 28 sports. No official medal tables were published, but the most successful nation was China, followed by Russia; hosts Singapore did not win any gold medals. It also had mixed-NOCs teams (comprising youths from different countries) and the Culture and Education Programme (CEP).
