21 April 2013 Current Affairs
Mathematical Genius Shakuntala Devi Died
On 21 April The ‘human computer’ ‘mental calculator’, mathematics whizard Shakuntala Devi died at Bangalore.Her name was recorded in Guinness Book of World Records for her ability of making calculations at lightning-speed.In the year 1977, she calculated the 23rd root of digit number 201 in just 50 seconds.Some of her books were Puzzles to Puzzle You, Mathablit, Astrology for You, Fun with Numbers and Awaken the Genius in Your Child.
Former England Captain Mike Denness Died
On 19 April Michael Henry Denness, popularly known as Mike Denness, the former England captain died in London.Mike Denness played county cricket for Essex and Kent. He scored over 25000 runs in the first-class career.He was the captain of Kent to six domestic trophies between 1972 and 1976.He was among first few inductees into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame.He was also named as the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1975.
Sebastian Vettel Won Bahrain Grand Prix Title
On 21 April The Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel from Germany won the Bahrain Grand Prix 2013 by defeating Lotus drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean. Kimi Raikkonen got second postion.Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes took fifth position and Fernando Alonso of Ferrari was successful in grabbing the eighth position in the listings
Ambani Brothers 20th Richest in World
Mukesh and Anil Ambani, India’s leading industrialist brothers, have been together listed as 20th richest in the world in the Sunday Times Rich List 2013.The Walton family of the US, who own Supermarkets (Walmart), are the richest in the world with a 90 billion pounds fortune in 2013 as against 51 billion pounds last year.The Hinduja brothers, Srichand and Gopichand Hinduja, Chairman and Co-Chairman respectively of the Hinduja Group, are 47th richest in the world with a fortune worth 11 billion pounds in 2013 as against 9 billion pounds last year.
Napolitano Re-elected as Italy’s President
On 21 April Italy’s Parliament re-elected Giorgio Napolitano as the Italy’s President for second 7-year term .Giorgio Napolitano will be the first Italian president to be re-elected to serve a second term.He got 738 votes, far more than the 504 needed for victory.More than 1,000 national and regional lawmakers had convened to elect the next Italian president, with the overwhelming majority of them ultimately backing Napolitano.The People of Freedom party of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi got second place in Italy elections.He is the first President of Italy to have been a member of the Italian Communist Party and the first to be elected to a second term as President.Giorgio Napolitano is the 11th President of the Italian Republic since 2006.
NASA Successfully Launched Three Smartphone Satellites
On 21 April NASA has launched three smartphones into space in what scientists hope will be the lowest-cost satellites ever tested.The smartphones, Google-HTC Nexus Ones running the Android operating system, launched aboard the maiden flight of Orbital Science Corp.’s Antares rocket from NASA’s Wallops Island Flight Facility located on Wallops Island along Virginia’s Eastern Shore.The phones will basically function as the brain of the satellite.The trio of PhoneSats – aptly named Alexander, Graham and Bell . Satellites consisting mainly of the smartphones will send information about their health via radio back to Earth in an effort to demonstrate they can work as satellites in space.The spacecraft also will attempt to take pictures of Earth using their cameras.