Words: Vandana Devi Images: Various Sources
Mahatma Gandhi established Sabarmati Ashram in Kochrab near Ahmedabad on this day, 102 years ago. At the time the ashram was called Satyagraha Ashram. Two years later it was relocated to an area of thirty six acres on the banks of the river Sabarmati, and it came to be known as the Sabarmati Ashram.
Jesse Owens broke three world records at the Big Ten meet in Michigan in the events of broad jump, the 220 yard dash and the low hurdles. At 21 years of age, Owens averaged a world record every nine minutes. He also tied another world record at the meet. It is continued to be remembered as ‘Jesse Owens and the Greatest 45 minutes in Sport’.
The original Star Wars written and directed by George Lucas opened in American theatres on this day 40 years ago. It grossed nearly $800 million world wide and won multiple awards at the 50th Annual Academy awards and created a cult following for future Star Wars movies. Star Wars: A New Hope was followed by multiple movies in the franchise which continued as huge successes.
The last episode of The Oprah Winfrey show was aired today, 6 years ago, marking the end of this twenty five year old show. It aired from September 8, 1986 to May 25, 2011. It remains the highest rated talk show in American television history. Oprah was one of the longest running daytime television talk shows in history and received 47 Daytime Emmy Awards.