Discover fascinating events from 27th June in history, including Joshua Slocum’s solo voyage, the first aerial refueling, and Satyajit Ray’s UN honour. Learn the incredible story of how ice first arrived in Calcutta and how people kept cool in India before ice-making machines.
Dear Students,
Have you ever tried to imagine how people cooled off in India before ice making machine was invented? It is a fascinating story which I will share today. But before that let us travel back in time to explore the events that happened on 27th June over the years.
🎈 Joshua Slocum’s Great Voyage (1898)
Today we travel across the world in airplanes. Before planes were invented people used to travel in ships and boats. But travelling used to tale a long time, for instance travelling from Calcutta to London used to take almost two months. Moreover the ships required lots of crew members to sail. But then something changed on 27th June 1898. A brave man named Joshua Slocum returned to Newport, Rhode Island, after becoming the first person ever to sail alone around the world! He had begun this daring journey in 1895 aboard his trusty sloop called Spray. For three years, he battled storms, loneliness, and countless dangers. Isn’t that incredible courage?
🎈 Flying and Fueling in the Sky (1923)
On 27th June, 1923, something unbelievable happened in California. Captain Lowell H. Smith and Lieutenant John P. Richter performed the first successful aerial refueling. Imagine two old-fashioned planes flying side by side, passing gasoline through a hose while still in the air! This clever idea later made it possible for airplanes to fly much farther without stopping.
🎈 Lighting Up with Nuclear Power (1954)
You know that nuclear power is not just for bombs but also for electricity. And it was on 27th June,1954, in Obninsk, Russia, the world’s first nuclear power plant started producing electricity for people’s homes. This was the beginning of a new way to light up cities, power machines, and change the world forever. Say no to War and use science for peace.
🎈 Satyajit Ray Honoured by the United Nations (2015)
Many of you must have read stories and watched cinema by Satyajit Ray. It is a proud moment for all of us that on 27th June 2015, the United Nations in New York put up a portrait of Satyajit Ray, the brilliant Indian filmmaker, as part of an exhibition called The Transformative Power of Art. He was celebrated as one of the world’s greatest storytellers.
🌨️ The Curious Case of Ice in India
Now, as promised the story of ice. Once upon a time, about 400 years ago, the Mughal Emperor Babur felt the need for ice during the hot summer months.
I was curious to know more about this, so about ten years ago, I did some research. Today, when I started reading my old notes, I came across an interesting entry from that time. I thought, why not share it with you?
A book was written by Gulbadan Begum, who was Emperor Humayun’s half-sister. It was called Tazkirat-ul-Waqiat. In this book, she mentioned that Humayun ordered his soldiers to use elephants and horses to bring ice all the way from Kashmir to the cities of Delhi, Agra and Lahore.
But in a place like Bengal, bringing ice from Kashmir was almost impossible because it was so far away. And as people often say, necessity is the mother of invention. So, a clever idea was developed. River water was stored in underground pits or trenches so that it could turn into ice.
Later, during British rule, this method was adopted, and people started making ice in Chuchura, in the Hooghly district of Bengal. However, this ice could only be used for cooling things and not for eating or drinking.
🧊 The Frozen Surprise of 1833
Let’s now jump to the year 1833. It was the month of September when a ship arrived at the port of Calcutta. People were amazed to see vapour rising from something white. They were so surprised that they thought it must be hot! But when they touched it, they were even more shocked to find it was freezing cold.
This was Frederic Tudor’s ship. He was a businessman from America who saw a great opportunity to bring ice from the ponds of Massachusetts to India. His ice business did very well until the 1950s, when ice-making machines started becoming popular.
❄️ Isn’t it amazing how human curiosity and innovation can turn impossible dreams into reality? Next time you enjoy an ice lolly, remember the long journey ice took to reach India!
Stay curious and keep exploring! 🌍✨
