Siddharth Jaiman on Pitara Kids Network

Michelangelo: The Greatest Artist in Human History

Wed, 24 Jun 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Michelangelo (1475 – 1564):

More than 500 years ago a young artist studied dead bodies, even went through their organs, and their muscles and bones, so that he could turn a block of white marble into the shape of a living, breathing man. That young man was an Italian sculptor and painter Michelangelo.

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, best known as Michelangelo was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet. His work has deeply influenced Western Art and he is the best-documented artist of the 16th century given the sheer volume of his work.

Emmeline Pankhurst: Leading the battle for Women's right to vote

Fri, 22 May 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Emmeline Pankhurst (1858 - 1928):

It was a little over 100 years ago that women were first allowed to vote in the United Kingdom of Britain. Till 1918, only men were allowed to vote in the British elections to Parliament. The battle for universal suffrage, or men and women voting as equals, was led by the British political activist Emmeline Pankhurst. She fought a long and hard battle during which she was arrested more than seven times, and had to leave her three daughters with cousins so that she could continue the fight.

Louis Pasteur: The man who discovered vaccination

Thu, 21 May 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Louis Pasteur (1822 - 1895):

The next time you chomp on cheese or sip some wine, remember the French scientist Louis Pasteur who discovered that spoiled milk, fermented beer and wine, and many diseases are caused by bacteria. Millions of people are saved from bites from rabid dogs because of the rabies vaccine developed by Louis Pasteur.

Bacteria are tiny, living organisms that are only visible under a microscope. More than 150 years ago, Pasteur discovered that heating milk between 60 to 100 degrees Celsius kills the bacteria. This makes the milk safe to drink. This process was named “pasteurization” in his honor. Pasteur also showed that every food that is fermented, such as wine and beer, has one particular, safe, bacteria that cause the fermentation. He also found out that many diseases happen because of bacteria. This became known as the Germ Theory of Disease, or the theory that the cause of most diseases is invisible-to-the-eye micro-organisms, which are also called pathogens.

Subhas Chandra Bose: The first man to set up a government of free India

Thu, 14 May 2020 18:28:31 +0000

Subhas Chandra Bose (1867 to 1945):

Can the enemy of your enemy be your friend? Would you ask your enemy’s enemy for help even if they had done things that were terrible?

The famous Indian freedom fighter, Subhas Chandra Bose made this troubling choice in his fight to liberate India of British rule during World War II. He reached out to Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan in order to fight against British rule. He did not live to see India gain independence.

Galileo Galilei: The Italian who figured that planets revolve around the sun

Mon, 04 May 2020 18:28:31 +0000

Galileo Galilei (1564 - 1642):

Nearly 400 years ago, an Italian mathematician told the world that the planets revolve around the sun. And he was severely punished for it. But he stood by his words and spent the last days of his life under house arrest. This was Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaulti de Galilei, or Galileo Galilei. Born on the 15th of February, 1564, Galileo was an Italian astronomer, physicist, and engineer.

Galileo has been called the father of observational astronomy, the father of modern physics, the father of modern science, and the father of scientific method. If this sounds too much, it may be worth remembering that this man gave the world the first thermometer as well as the concept of heliocentrism, or the idea that planets revolve around the sun. This made the priests rather unhappy because the Bible says that the Earth is at the center of the universe. He also created the microscope and various military compasses. As an astronomer, Galileo discovered sunspots, four of Jupiter’s largest satellites, and Saturn’s rings. He was also the first to state that mathematics lies at the center of all laws of nature.

B.R. Ambedkar: Father of the Indian Constitution

Sun, 24 May 2020 18:30:00 +0000

Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (1891 – 1956):

The slogan “Jai Bhim” is a salute to the man who spent his life fighting for the rights of the weakest citizens of India. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar is remembered as the father of the Indian Constitution.

The Constitution of India is a guiding light for the values that should govern India. After independence, the responsibility of leading the task of writing the Constitution was given to Ambedkar. He was India’s first Minister of Law and Justice and fought tirelessly against social discrimination of India’s poorest minority class.

Florence Nightingale: The Lady With A Lamp

Mon, 15 Jun 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Florence Nightingale (1820 - 1910)

Today, it is common knowledge that female nurses play an important role in treating patients. However, this was not always the case. Florence Nightingale helped build the reputation of nurses as we know it today. She was a social worker, statistician and founder of modern nursing.

Nightingale used to train nurses during the Crimean war and would often treat soldiers under the cover of darkness. This led to English society giving her the title, The Lady With A Lamp. The highest award a nurse can achieve was named in her honor and her birthday is celebrated as International Nurses Day.

Confucius: The philosopher-teacher who taught kings how to govern

Wed, 20 May 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Confucius (551 BC - 479 BC):

When the world thinks of traditional Chinese philosophy, they think of Confucius. He was the philosopher-teacher who taught kings and officials on how to govern. He was the man people turned to understand how to be good human beings.

Some may think Confucius was a traditional old man. After all, he was the master of rituals and believed deeply in their value. But Confucius wasn’t so simple. According to him, ritual and music were a way to learn values. For example, when we follow the rituals of mourning, we learn the value of life, and the reality of death. We mourn the dead and celebrate their life, through rituals.

Buckminster Fuller: A Scholar, a Scientist and an Inventor

Tue, 16 Jun 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Buckminster Fuller (1895 – 1983):

Imagine if you were a scientist, working in the freezing South Pole. You would be staying in a curious, dome-like structure that must be capable of standing up to strong winds and blizzards. It is likely that you would be staying in a Geodesic dome.

The Geodesic dome is one of the many inventions of Richard Buckminster Fuller. It originated from an elegantly simple idea. Fuller understood that the triangle is an extremely stable shape. So he used a network of triangles to form a large dome that can be made large enough to cover huge distances.

William Shakespeare: The Father of The English Language

Wed, 27 May 2020 18:30:00 +0000

William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616):

“Neither here nor there”, “with bated breath”, “vanish into thin air”… Words we use today, but they were written by one very talented writer nearly 500 years ago. The English language as we know it today owes a lot to William Shakespeare.

William Shakespeare is considered the greatest writer in the English language and the greatest playwright to have ever lived. Born on the 26th of April 1564, his complete works include 39 plays and 154 sonnets. His plays have been performed more than any playwright.

Maria Curie: The only scientist to win a Nobel prize twice

Sat, 16 May 2020 18:28:31 +0000

Maria Skłodowska Curie (1867 - 1934):

Marie Curie (born Maria Skłodowska Curie) was the first woman to win a Nobel prize and the only scientist to win a Nobel prize twice. She was also the first scientist to win a Nobel Prize in two different fields of science. She found a treatment for cancer, coined the word “radioactive”, and discovered the elements Radium and Polonium.

Maria Skłodowska Curie was born in Warsaw, Poland on the 7th of November, 1867.
Her parents lost all of their property during the Polish freedom struggle. Curie struggled to put herself through college by teaching and getting a fellowship. She studied physics, chemistry, and mathematics at the University of Paris.

What is a democracy?

Thu, 16 Jul 2020 00:00:00 +0000

If three friends need to decide between eating pizza or burgers, they could debate and agree or they could put it to vote and go with the majority. Since there are only two options and three people, once the votes are counted, there would be a winner. This is an example of democracy at work.

More specifically, it is an example of what is called a direct democracy. This is a democracy where the voters have a direct say in the decisions made by the group. Imagine if the entire school of 3000 kids had to choose between pizza and burgers. That would be very hard. One way out would be for each class to choose a representative who could then vote on behalf of the entire class. This would be an example of representative democracy.

Juneteenth: Celebrating End of Slavery in the United States of America

Thu, 25 Jun 2020 00:00:00 +0000

June + nineteenth => Juneteenth
A holiday to celebrate the end of slavery and the freeing of slaves. Also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day, and Emancipation Day

Juneteenth (19th of June, 1865) is one of the most important days celebrated by the African American community in the United States of America. For it was on this day, 19th of June in the year 1865 that a majority of slaves were informed that they were free. However, they were informed two years after slavery was made illegal in the US.

Ada Lovelace, The Mother of Computing

Thu, 28 May 2020 18:28:31 +0000

Ada Lovelace (1815-1852):

When you use your device, remember that Ada Lovelace was the first person to write a computer program. She is widely regarded as the first person to recognize the full potential of computers. She wrote the first algorithm ever.

Ada Lovelace was born on the 10th of December, 1815 to the famous poet Lord Byron and his wife Lady Byron. Her parents named her Augusta Ada Byron. Her parents separated soon after she was born. Ada did not have a relationship with her father at all. Her mother left her in the care of Ada’s maternal grandmother but made sure Ada was privately schooled in mathematics and science by two scholars. Ada was often ill. However, by the age of 12, she had discovered her passion for mathematics and technology. Her project at the time was the miracle of flight. She built wings with different materials and did immense research. Eventually, she used her findings to write a book called Flyology.

Elvis Presley: The King of Rock and Roll

Thu, 25 Jun 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Elvis Presley (1935-1977):

“Truth is like the sun, you can shut it out but it ain’t goin’ away,” said Elvis Presley. Little did he know how apt those words would be to his musical career. Everyone told the King of Rock that he would not become a successful singer but he kept trying till he did.

From a humble beginning to ruling radio, television and the silver screen. Elvis Presley was an icon and the best selling solo artist of all time. The music he made was known as Rockabilly. It is a fusion mix of Country, Rhythm and the Blues. Country music is the traditional folk music from the southern states of America. It was primarily written and enjoyed by white Americans. Rhythm and Blues are often spoken of together and abbreviated as R&B. It is any music with a heavy and intense beat. Like Country, Blues also arose from the southern American states but was written and enjoyed mainly by black Americans. The fusion mix of Country, Rhythm and the Blues that Elvis made was enjoyed by everyone.

Michael Farday: The Self-Educated Inventor

Tue, 23 Jun 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Michael Faraday (1791 - 1867)

Is it possible to become one of the most influential scientists in history without a formal education? In the case of Michael Faraday, the answer would be an absolute yes. Our world is full of big and small electric motors. And we owe Faraday for discovering the principles of electromagnetism that led to the first electric motor.

Faraday’s main contributions were within the study of electromagnetism and the relationship between electricity and chemical change. His work helped develop the generators we use today. He also devised the commercial process of separating elements from their ores, such as iron. Faraday named this process electrolysis. Without him, the use of electricity in technology would have been severely delayed.

J.K. Rowling: Casts a reading spell on children in the era of digital media

Tue, 26 May 2020 01:30:00 +0000

Joanne Kathleen Rowling (1965 - ):

J.K. Rowling is the author of the most widely sold book series in all of history. Her fantasy novels are about the story of a boy, Harry Potter. He is an English orphan who is given admission to a school of magic, exclusively for wizards and witches. Rowling’s Harry Potter series takes us into the world of magic as Harry and his friends fight the source of evil in their world, Lord Voldemort.

Marie Stopes: A Guiding Light For The Women of England

Mon, 22 Jun 2020 10:28:31 +0000

Marie Stopes (1880 – 1958):

Nearly 100 years ago, one woman took it upon herself to help women take control of their own bodies. To decide whether they wanted children, and when they wanted children. At a time when it was looked down upon, Marie Stopes helped a generation of English women safely discuss sex, pregnancy, and birth control.

Birth control refers to methods of preventing a pregnancy. Abortion is a medical procedure that ends a pregnancy. It is estimated that one in four pregnancies a year, end in abortion. Although birth control is available today, access to safe abortion is still not available for the millions of women who need it.

Rosa Parks: The First Lady of Civil Rights

Sat, 27 Jun 2020 00:00:00 +0530

Rosa Parks (1913-2005):

It might seem alien to you today, but in 1950’s America, discrimination was protected and enforced by the state. One of the key ways this was done was by segregation. African Americans were told where they could eat, where they could go to school, where they could live, and where they could be buried. The effort and sacrifice of one young woman to fight against this injustice made her an international icon and earned her the title, “the first lady of civil rights”.

Which is the fastest animal on earth?

Fri, 26 Jun 2020 10:28:31 +0000

Peregrine Falcon is the fastest animal on earth – it can fly nearly as fast as an airplane.

Peregrine Falcon is one of the rare birds that thrive in urban environments. It uses tall skyscrapers as launchpads and hunts pigeons and ducks. It is the world’s most widespread bird of prey and one of the most widely found bird species. It also has a good relationship with humans who use it for hunting.

Which is the Oldest Living Creature?

Fri, 17 Jul 2020 18:30:00 +0530

The oldest living creature in the world will come as a surprise to you. Many of the animals in the seas, skies, and earth live long lives. Yet the oldest living creature in the world is an immortal jellyfish that has never died. Its family name is Turritopsis Dohrnii. It hails from a class of small animals that live mainly in saltwater.

The Dohrnii begin their life journey as larvae with a diameter of no more than 4 millimeters. The larvae have a tiny vase-shaped body with a mouth surrounded by tentacles. They come together and attach themselves to the ocean floor. Soon, they mature into jellyfish. Once they mature, they travel great distances and hunt other fish for food. The Dohrnii has currently spread across three continents by hitchhiking on the underside of cargo ships. Due to their tiny size, the countries they are invading are unaware that it is even happening.