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Brief History of United States of America

By
Syskool
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History of United States

History of United States

Four hundred years ago 100 followers of the Puritan faith, set sail from England in search of a new land and reached America. They landed in the area which is now called Massachusetts. These settlers prospered in America they elected and formed their own government, made laws and controlled taxes.

Over the years these settlers were colonized by Britain and ruled by the British. The American settlers, though taxed by the British, where not allowed to have any representative in the parliament.

Over a period of time the settlers demanded their rights. Resentment to levying the taxes without representation grew.

Also Read: History of Slavery in United States

In 1773 the British reduced the tax on Tea in Britain but continued to levy the same in America. As a result of this a group of Americans dressed as Indians boarded a British ship in Boston harbor and threw the cargo of Tea into the sea. This was called the Boston Tea Party.

In 1775 after a failed negotiation between the British and the Americans, fighting broke out.

On 4th July in 1776 the Americans declared their independence. The war with the British continued till 1781 and in 1783 the British recognized their independence.

Also Read: Major Revolutions

The first flag of the United State was similar to the present one except it had 13 stars in a circle representing the 13 states. These states formed the Union.

During 1861 and 1865 there was fighting within the union because of resentment in the southern states over the election of Abraham Lincoln, who abolished slavery, as the President. As a result of this Southern states formed their own Union called Confederacy.

Also Read: People who changed the World

In 1861 war broke between the Confederates and the Union. It was a tough war and lasted till 1865 when the Confederates surrendered. This led to the abolition of slavery all over the country.

As the years went by many people migrated to the United States, Industry developed and the United States of America emerges as a powerful nation.

Also Read: US Women of World War 2

Indian Missiles Development

By
Syskool
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15
indian missiles agni missile

Indian missiles are placing India proudly into an elite league of defence forces having such technologies. Although India’s defence policy was promoting the world peace, it decided to be ready against any type of aggression. For this reason, India had to become self- reliant in modern war technology such as missiles. Thus, the Defence Ministry of India constituted Integrated Guided Missile Development programme (IGMDP) in 1983.

The main aim of this programme was to develop comprehensive missiles in between 1983 and 2007, thereby adding great weight to the Indian Defence capabilities. DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organization) started working with many other research centres to build strong Indian missiles technology.

Read Also: List of Indian Missiles

Finally, it became successful in developing, designing and operationalizing five different categories of missile systems. They are as follows:

  1. SHORT-RANGE SURFACE TO SURFACE MISSILE- PRITHVI
  2. INTERMEDIATE-RANGE SURFACE TO SURFACE MISSILE- AGNI
  3. SHORT-RANGE SURFACE TO AIR MISSILE- TRISHUL
  4. MEDIUM-RANGE SURFACE TO AIR MISSILE- AKASH
  5. THIRD-GENERATION ANTI-TANK GUIDED MISSILE-NAG

 

PRITHVI MISSILE SYSTEM:

Among all Indian missiles, PRITHVI (means earth) was the India’s first indigenously developed ballistic missile. It is a short range surface to surface ballistic missile which was successfully test-fired in 1988 from Sriharikota Rocket launching centre. Its range is between 150 km to 300 km. The different variants in PRITHVI are as follows:

  • PRITHVI I, with a range of 150 km and payload capability of 1000 kg , was inducted into the Indian Army in 1994.
  • PRITHVI II, with a range of 250 km and payload capability of 300 kg, was test fired in 1996 and inducted into Indian Army in 2004.
  • PRITHVI III, with a range of 350 km and payload capability of 1000 kg, was test fired in 2004.
  • SAGARIKA, a sub-marine variant of PRITHVI, is capable of firing the missile from underwater. This was completed in 2004.
  • DHANUSH, a ship-launched the variant of PRITHVI, with a range of 150 km is capable of firing from offshore.

 

AGNI MISSILE SYSTEM:

AGNI (means fire) is the intermediate range ballistic missile system with a range up to 5000 km. It is capable of piercing the atmosphere with high speed when fired. Among Indian missiles programs, Agni is most successful. The variants of AGNI are as follows:

  • AGNI-I, with a range of 700 km to 900 km and a payload capability of 1000 kg, was test fired in 1989.
  • AGNI-II, with a range of 2000 km to 3000 km and a payload capability of 1000 kg, was test fired in 1999 and inducted into an army in 2002.
  • AGNI-III, with a range of 3500 km to 5000 km and a payload capability of 1500 kg, was test fired in 2006 and inducted into an army in 2011.
  • AGNI-IV, with a range of 3000 km and a payload capability of 1 tonne uses solid propellant and was test fired in 2011.
  • AGNI-V, with a range of 5000 km and a payload capability of 1000 kg, was test fired in 2012.
  • AGNI-VI is an inter-continental ballistic missile which is being developed now and it will have a range of 6000 km.

Must Read: Fighter Planes of Indian Air Force

indian missiles ballistic

TRISHUL MISSILE SYSTEM:

TRISHUL is a surface to air missile system which can hit the target in the air, with a range of 9 km and payload of 5.5 kg. This project was shut down by IGMDP in 2008.

AKASH MISSILE SYSTEM:

AKASH (means sky) is a medium range surface to air missile which can hit a moving target in the air with a range of 30 km and a payload capability of 720 kg. The missile was successfully test fired in 1997 and was taken by Indian Air Force in 2007.

NAG MISSILE SYSTEM:

NAG missile system is India’s third generation anti-tank missile with a range of 3km to 7km. It can align itself to the target without external help. It was successfully test fired several times and is ready to be inducted in the Indian Army.

In addition to these missile systems, BRAHMOS cruise missile which is capable of delivering a large warhead to distant locations with great accuracy was also successfully test fired in 2004.

Indian Missiles

Besides, these missile systems many more advanced weaponry’s are being invented by our scientists. These not only show our defence strength but also technological brilliance.

Also, Read:

Technologically Advanced Countries in the World

Must know Facts about India Nirbhay Missile

Kathakali – Indian Dance Drama

By
Syskool
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0
kathakali

Kathakali is a form of dance drama which originated in Kerala in the 17th century. It was created by Zamorin of Calicut. It is an art form that has evolved from many social and religious art forms that existed in the ancient times in southern region. Some of those art forms being Ramanattam, Koodiyattam and Krishnattam. Kathakali is a striking blend of dance,music, drama and acting generally based on the Indian epics that is Ramayana, Mahabharata and other mythological stories of Krishna. It is characterized by elaborate costumes, attractive makeup, detailed gestures and refined body movements. Kathakali later also incorporated features of other folk and martial arts of Kerala known as Kalaripayattu. As this art form evolved over a period of time, the artists started using a combination of both the languages that is Malayalam and Sanskrit to cater to the masses. This combination of Malayalam and Sanskrit is called Manipravalam. Traditionally there are 101 classical Kathakali stories.

Must Read: Kathak An introduction

kathakali dance drama

Kathakali is enacted by various hand movements called hasta mudras, facial expressions called rasas and body movements. It incorporates all the aspects of abhinaya and those are angika, aharya, vachika, satvika, nritta, nritya and natya. There are 24 basic mudras or gestures in kathakali and the main facial expressions of an artist are called ‘navarasas’.  Pacha, kathi, thadi, kari or minukku are the terms given to different kinds of characters.  The face of the artist appears like a mask due to the makeup that stands out while performance. The lips, eyebrows, and eyelashes are made to look prominently. Chutti, which is a mixture of rice paste and lime is applied on the face that helps in highlighting the makeup. Kirita is the headgear which is worn by all and the characters of Krishna and Rama wear a special crown adorned with peacock feathers. A small knob called chuttippu is fixed on the nose and the centre of forehead which is a particular feature of the character that plays kathi or the anti-heroes.

Must Read: Folk dances of India

The kathakali  performance is done on a very simple stage. A large oil-fed lamp called villaku is placed in the front of the stage and the performance generally starts in the night and goes on till early morning. Tira Sela is the name given to the curtain behind which the main dancers stand before the performance. The Kathakali performance begins with calling the attention of an audience and the process is called kelilottu. It is followed by todayam where the blessings of the god are invoked. Purapaddu is purely a dance sequence and it is followed by melappada when musicians and drummers entertain the audience with their skills. Tiranokku is the time when all the characters enters on stage and thereafter the drama begins. Percussion instruments which are used are cheda and maddalam. A gong made of bell metal called chengila is also used which is struck with a wooden stick. Lead singers are called as ponnani and the followers are called singidi.

Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair, Kalamandalam gopi and Madvoor Vasudevan Nair are some of the popular names in the field of Kathakali.

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Classical Dances of India: Mirror of Cultural India

Indian classical dance forms Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Kathakali, Kathak, Odissi

What is PAN?

By
Syskool
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15
PAN Card
Permanent Account Number (PAN) is a ten-digit alphanumeric number, issued in the form of a laminated card, by the Income Tax Department, to any “person” who applies for it or to whom the department allots the number without an application.
PAN enables the department to link all transactions of the “person” with the department. These transactions include tax payments, TDS/TCS credits, returns of income/wealth/gift/FBT, specified transactions, correspondence, and so on. PAN, thus, acts as an identifier for the “person” with the tax department.
PAN was introduced to facilitates linking of various documents, including payment of taxes, assessment, tax demand, tax arrears etc. relating to an assessee, to facilitate easy retrieval of information and to facilitate matching of information relating to investment, raising of loans and other business activities of taxpayers collected through various sources, both internal as well as external, for detecting and combating tax evasion and widening of tax base.
A typical PAN is AFZPK7190K.

 

  • First, three characters i.e. “AFZ” in the above PAN are alphabetic series running from AAA to ZZZ
  • Fourth character of PAN i.e. “P” in the above PAN represents the status of the PAN holder. “P” stands for Individual, “F” stands for Firm, “C” stands for Company, “H” stands for HUF, “A” stands for AOP, “T” stands for TRUST etc.
  • Fifth character i.e. “K” in the above PAN represents first character of the PAN holder’s last name/surname.
  • Next four characters i.e. “7190” in the above PAN are sequential number running from 0001 to 9999.
  • Last character i.e. “K” in the above PAN is an alphabetic check digit.

 

Why is it necessary to have PAN?
It is mandatory to quote PAN on the return of income, all correspondence with any income tax authority. From 1 January 2005, it will be mandatory to quote PAN on challans for any payments due to Income Tax Department.
It is also compulsory to quote PAN in all documents pertaining to the following financial transactions :-

 

  1. sale or purchase of any immovable property valued at five lakh rupees or more;
  2. sale or purchase of a motor vehicle or vehicle, [the sale or purchase of a motor vehicle or vehicle does not include two-wheeled vehicles, inclusive of any detachable side-car having an extra wheel, attached to the motor vehicle;]
  3. a time deposit, exceeding fifty thousand rupees, with a banking company ;
  4. a deposit, exceeding fifty thousand rupees, in any account with Post Office Savings Bank;
  5. a contract of a value exceeding one lakh rupees for sale or purchase of securities; (f) opening a bank account;
  6. making an application for installation of a telephone connection (including a cellular telephone connection);
  7. payment to hotels and restaurants against their bills for an amount exceeding twenty-five thousand rupees at any one time ;
  8. payment in cash for the purchase of bank drafts or pay orders or banker’s cheques for an amount aggregating fifty thousand rupees or more during any one day;
  9. deposit in cash aggregating fifty thousand rupees or more with a bank during any one day;
  10. payment in cash in connection with travel to any foreign country of an amount exceeding twenty-five thousand rupees at any one time.

Don’t Miss: National Income

 

PAN – Legal Framework

The legal authority for allotment and use of the new series of PAN is derived from PAN, Section 139A of the Income-tax Act, 1961. This section lays down the framework for e.g, who is required to apply for PAN, who else can apply for PAN, who will allot PAN, transactions where PAN is required to be quoted, use of PAN in TDS certificates and TDS returns, that one person can have only one PAN and the manner of applying for PAN.
The manner of applying for PAN is laid down in Rule 114 of the Income-tax Rules, 1962. This rule, amended in 2003, also specifies the copies of documents required to be submitted along with the PAN application as proof of identity and address of the PAN applicant. entering into specified transactions/activities. Persons who do not have PAN are the persons to whom section 139A does not apply. These are persons who have Govt./State Govt. and Consular offices, where they are payers.
Rule 114B lists down the documents in which PAN is required to be quoted while entering into specified transactions/activities. Persons who do not have PAN are exempted from quoting PAN on furnishing a declaration in Form 60. Rule 114C lists the persons to whom section 139A does not apply. These are persons who have agricultural income by furnishing declaration in Form 61, non-residents, and Central Govt./State Govt. and Consular offices, where they are payers.
The Penalty of Rs.10,000/- is imposable u/s 272B for failure to comply with the provisions of section 139A.
Have a look at:

History of Robots

By
Syskool
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0

Robots have come a long way since Unimate, the first industrial robot invented by George Charles Devol.  Since then industrial robots have been defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) as “automatically controlled, reprogrammable, multipurpose manipulators programmable in 3 or more axes.”  This article will look at some of the key facts about robots that are helpful for any current or future robot user to know.

Robot Types

There are 3 main types of robots:

  • Articulated Robots – These types of robots  have rotary joints
  • SCARA – These robots are also known as Selective Compliant Assembly Robot Arm and contain parallel axis-joints
  • Gantry Robots – These robots have 3 principle axes of control and are linear.

Must Read: The Indian Armed Forces

History of Robots

320 BC

Greek philosopher Aristotle made this famous quote:

“If every tool, when ordered, or even of its own accord, could do the work that befits it… then there would be no need either of apprentices for the master workers or of slaves for the lords.”

1495

Around 1495 Leonardo da Vinci sketched plans for a humanoid robot.

1700 – 1900

Between 1700 and 1900 a number of life-sized automatons were created including a famous mechanical duck made by Jacques de Vaucanson that could crane its neck, flap its wings and even swallow food.

1913

Henry Ford installs the world’s first moving conveyor belt-based assembly line in his car factory. A Model T can be assembled in 93 minutes.

1920

Karel Capek coins the word ‘robot’ to describe machines that resemble humans in his play called Rossum’s Universal Robots. The play was about a society that became enslaved by the robots that once served them.

This idea is now a common theme in popular culture, ie Frankenstein, Terminator, The Matrix etc.

1932

The first true robot toy was produced in Japan. The ‘Lilliput’ was a wind-up toy which walked. It was made from tinplate and stood just 15cm tall.

1937

Alan Turing releases his paper “On Computable Numbers” which begins the computer revolution.

Must Read: Inventions that changed the World

1941

Legendary science fiction writer Isaac Asimov writes the short story ‘Liar!’ in which he describes the Three Laws of Robotics. His stories were recompiled into the volume “I, Robot” in 1950 – later reproduced as a movie starring Will Smith. Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics:

  • A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
  • A robot must obey any orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
  • A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

1950

Alan Turing proposes a test to determine if a machine truly has the power to think for itself. To pass the test a machine must be indistinguishable from a human during the conversation. It has become known as the ‘Turing Test’.

1954

George Devol and Joe Engleberger design the first programmable robot ‘arm’. This later became the first industrial robot, completing dangerous and repetitive tasks on an assembly line at General Motors (1962).

1957

The Soviet Union launches ‘Sputnik’, the first artificial orbiting satellite. This marks the beginning of the space race.

1964

The IBM 360 becomes the first computer to be mass-produced.

1968

Stanley Kubrick makes Arthur C. Clark’s, 2001: A Space Odyssey into a movie. It features HAL, an onboard computer that develops a mind of its own.

1969

The U.S. successfully use the latest in computing, robotic and space technology to land Neil Armstrong on the moon.

1977

The first Star Wars movie is released. George Lucas‘s movie inspires a new generation of researchers through his image of a human future shared with robots such as the now famous R2-D2 and C-3PO.

1986

The first LEGO based educational products are put on the market and Honda launches a project to build a walking humanoid robot.

1994

Carnegie Universities eight-legged walking robot, Dante ll, successfully descends into Mt Spur to collect volcanic gas samples.

1997

On May 11, a computer built by IBM known as Deep Blue beat world chess champion Garry Kasparov.

The first Robocup tournament is held in Japan. The goal of Robocup is to have a fully automated team of robots beat the worlds best soccer team by the year 2050.

1998

LEGO launches its first Robotics Inventions System.

1999

Sony releases the first version of AIBO, a robotic dog with the ability to learn, entertain and communicate with its owner. More advanced versions have followed.

2000

Honda debuts ASIMO, the next generation in its series of humanoid robots.

2004

Epsom release the smallest known robot, standing 7cm high and weighing just 10 grams. The robot helicopter is intended to be used as a ‘flying camera’ during natural disasters.

2005

Researchers at Cornell University build the first self-replicating robot. Each ‘robot’ is made up of a small tower of computerized cubes which link together through the use of magnets.

2008

After being first introduced in 2002, the popular Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner has sold over 2.5 million units, proving that there is a strong demand for this type of domestic robotic technology.

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 Robot:Applications in Industry

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A New Robot Cheetah That May Soon Outpace The Real One

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