Discover key historical events that happened on 19th of May, including Krishnadevaraya’s victory at Raichur, the invention of the pneumatic hammer, the arrival of Karl Benz’s car in the Netherlands, women’s suffrage in South Africa, the Mars 2 launch, and Mahendra Chaudhry becoming Prime Minister of Fiji.
Dear Students,
Today is the 19th of May, and I’d like to share some important historical events that took place on this day.
Many of you may have visited Hampi in Karnataka. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire, founded in the year 1336. On the 19th of May, Krishnadevaraya, the ruler of Vijayanagara, decisively defeated Ismail Adil Shah, the ruler of Bijapur, in the Battle of Raichur. This victory strengthened the Vijayanagara Kingdom and weakened the Bijapur Sultanate.
Do you know what a pneumatic hammer is? Well, we commonly know this tool as a drill. It was on the 19th of May, 1892, that American engineer Charles Brady King invented the pneumatic hammer.
The next event I’d like to share is from the Netherlands, also known as Holland. On this day in 1896, the first automobile manufactured by Karl Benz — the Benz Patent-Motorwagen — arrived in the Netherlands, marking the beginning of the automotive era in the country. You might be surprised to know that it was a three-wheeled vehicle. Here is a picture.
Did you know that on the 19th of May, 1930, white women gained the right to vote in South Africa? Prior to that, only men were allowed to vote.
On the 19th of May, 1971, the Soviet Union launched the Mars 2 spacecraft, as part of its Mars programme. This mission marked the first successful use of the Proton booster in a Soviet planetary launch.
Have you heard of Rishi Sunak? He was a recent Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and of Indian origin. However, he wasn’t the first person of Indian descent to be elected as the head of a foreign nation. On the 19th of May, 1999, Mahendra Chaudhry, also of Indian origin, was appointed Prime Minister of Fiji, an island nation in the Pacific Ocean.
Besides Mahendra Chaudhry, several other countries have had heads of state or government of Indian origin — for instance, Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, Prime Minister of Mauritius from 1968 to 1982, and Alfredo Nobre da Costa, Prime Minister of Portugal in 1978, among others. You can click HERE to learn more about them.
That’s all for today.
Enjoy!
