World Science Day for Peace and Development: key events on November 10 in history

World Science Day for Peace and Development is observed on November 10 every year. The day aims to show how much science contributes to humanity's peace and progress, and to raise public awareness of science. Advances in science and technology have helped solve many of the world's problems, including those of the environment, health and energy conservation.

On this day, schools, colleges and other educational institutions hold science workshops, exhibitions and discussion sessions. These help students understand the importance of science and raise their interest in research.

Here are some important events of November 10 in the history of India and the world. In 1659, Shivaji Maharaj killed Afzal Khan at Pratapgad. In 1698, the East India Company bought the Calcutta port from a local king. In 1958, oil was found in an experimental well at Vedsar near Baroda in Gujarat. In 1970, the Soviet Union launched the unmanned space mission Luna 17. In 1983, Bill Gates released Windows 1.0. In 1990, Chandra Shekhar took charge as India's eighth Prime Minister.

In 1999, it was announced that the Tansen Samman, given by the Madhya Pradesh government, would go to the singer Pt. C. R. Vyas. The honour is given for outstanding work in classical music. In 2001, Dr R. Chidambaram, a senior nuclear scientist and chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, was appointed Principal Scientific Adviser to the Central government. In 2008, NASA announced the end of the Phoenix mission. The craft had been on Mars for five months when contact with the lander was lost.

Many notable people were born on this date. In 1810, George Jennings, who built the flush toilet, was born; he died on April 17, 1882. In 1848, Surendranath Banerjee, one of the founders of the Indian National Congress, was born; he died on August 6, 1925. In 1851, the British naturalist Francis Balfour, who did foundational research on the classification of animals, was born; he died on July 19, 1882. In 1904, Kusumavati Deshpande, an outstanding Marathi fiction writer and critic, was born; she died on November 17, 1961.

In 1919, Mikhail Kalashnikov, who designed the AK-47 rifle, was born; he died on December 23, 2013. In 1925, the actor Richard Burton was born; he died on August 5, 1984. In 1944, Askar Akayev, the first President of Kyrgyzstan, was born. In 1952, the noted writer Sunanda Balaraman was born. In 1964, the Hindi film actor Ashutosh Rana and the Indian businessperson Nita Ambani were born.

Several prominent figures also died on this date. In 1659, Afzal Khan, the Bijapur commander, was killed by Shivaji Maharaj at Pratapgad. In 1922, Ganesh Sakharam Khare, a mathematician and astrologer who prepared the almanac of the Shivaji era, died in Pune. In 1938, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the first President of Turkey, died; he was born on May 19, 1881. In 1941, L. R. Pangarkar, a biographer of saints and historian of ancient literature, died; he was born on July 31, 1872.

In 1982, Leonid Brezhnev, general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, died; he was born on December 19, 1906. In 1996, the renowned singer Manik Verma died; she was born on May 16, 1926. In 2003, Canaan Banana, the first President of Zimbabwe, died; he was born on March 5, 1936. In 2006, Nadarajah Raviraj, a Tamil member of Sri Lanka's Parliament, was murdered in Colombo. In 2009, the actress Simple Kapadia died; she was born on August 15, 1958. In 2013, the Indian writer Vijaydan Detha died; he was born on September 1, 1926.