September 24: World Bollywood Day and a string of major historical events

World Bollywood Day is observed today, September 24, to honour the contribution of Bollywood through films. Bollywood is a major part of the Indian film industry with millions of viewers worldwide, known for its music, dance and dramatic storytelling that has influenced generations.

September 24 has also witnessed several major events in Indian and world history. In 1664, the Netherlands surrendered New Amsterdam to England. In 1873, Mahatma Phule founded the Satyashodhak Samaj. In 1906, US President Theodore Roosevelt declared Devils Tower in Wyoming the country's first national monument. In 1932, the Poona Pact was signed by leaders including Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya and Mukund Rao Jayakar. Cathay Pacific Airways was founded in Hong Kong in 1946, and Honda Motor Company was formed in 1948. In 1954, London's famous AEC Routemaster bus was introduced. In 1960, the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, USS Enterprise, was launched. In 1973, Guinea-Bissau gained independence from Portugal.

In 1995, Shivaji Sawant received the Bharatiya Jnanpith's Moortidevi Award for his novel Mrityunjay, becoming the first Marathi writer to win it. In 1996, representatives of 71 countries signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty at the United Nations. In 1999, the second unit of the Kaiga nuclear power project became operational. In 2007, India won the T20 World Cup under captain Dhoni. In 2014, India's Mars Orbiter Mission made it the first Asian country to reach Mars orbit and the first country in the world to do so on its maiden attempt. In 2015, a stampede during Hajj in Mecca killed 717 people. In 2023, NASA's OSIRIS-REx capsule, carrying samples from asteroid 101955 Bennu, returned safely to Earth.

Those born on this day include the fourth Sikh Guru, Guru Ram Das (1534); Indian revolutionary Madam Bhikaji Cama (1861); Georges Claude, inventor of neon lighting (1870); actor Keshavrao Tryambak Date (1889); Iranian religious leader and politician Ruhollah Khomeini (1902); Akali Dal leader Gurcharan Singh Tohra (1924); Arati Saha, the first Indian woman to swim the English Channel (1940); and cricketer and commentator Mohinder Amarnath (1950). Those who died on this day include Sweden's first prime minister, Louis Gerhard De Geer (1896), and Universal Studios founder Carl Laemmle (1939).