20th August Historic challenges and discoveries

The 1st African slaves arrived in North America aboard a Dutch privateer. It docked in Jamestown, Virginia, with twenty human captives among its cargo.

The “great Corneille”, Thomas’s skill as a poet seems to have shown itself early. At the age of fifteen, he composed a play in Latin which was performed by his fellow-pupils at the Jesuit school.

Jan de Witt, a Dutch politician and mathematician, was assassinated by a carefully organized lynch “mob” after visiting his brother Cornelis de Witt in prison. He was killed by a shot in the neck.

Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd president of the United States (1889-1893) and grandson of President William Henry Harrison was born in North Bend, Ohio.

General Winfield Scott won the battle of Churubusco on his drive to Mexico City. The Mexican War gave future civil war generals their first taste of combat.

Nikolay Yakovlevich Myaskovsky, a composer, was born in Poland of Russian military parentage.

The steamer “Atlantic” collided on Lake Erie with the fishing boat Ogdensburg, and sank. An estimated 150-250 people were drowned.

Donald King is an American boxing promoter known for his involvement in historic boxing matchups. He has been a controversial figure, partly due to a manslaughter conviction

President Andrew Johnson formally declared the Civil War over, even though the fighting had stopped months earlier.

Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. was an American singer, songwriter, actor, and producer. Hayes was one of the creative forces behind the Southern soul music label.

American General “Mad Anthony” Wayne defeated the Ohio Indians at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in the Northwest territory, ending Indian resistance in the area

Rajiv Ratna Gandhi was an Indian politician who served as the 6th Prime Minister of India from 1984 to 1989.

In Firozabad, India, a speeding passenger train crashed into a train that had stalled after hitting a cow and some 358 people were killed.

Nagavara Ramarao Narayana Murthy is an Indian billionaire businessman. He is the co-founder of Infosys.

In India 30,000 people were evacuated from 2 river valleys in Uttar Pradesh as landslides continued and the number of dead increased to about 300.

Indian film and stage actor and director were born. Famous for his role in web series and comedy movies.

Indian troops killed 14 Muslim rebels trying to sneak into Kashmir from Pakistan.

Zakir Khan is an Indian stand-up comedian, writer, presenter and actor. In 2012, he rose to popularity by winning Comedy Central’s India’s 3rd Best Stand Up Comedian competition

Bangladeshi and Indian border guards negotiated a ceasefire, halting a gunbattle that flared over disputed construction work along the frontier.

Amrita Puri is an Indian film actress. After auditioning for a few films, Puri made her film debut with the ensemble romantic comedy-drama Aisha