THE NP CHRONICLE : 18TH JULY

The NP Chronicle 

18th July 

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (born Rolihlahla Mandela; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid activist, statesman, and revolutionary who was the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first Black head of state and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. His administration focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid by fostering racial reconciliation, a national peace accord and eventual multiracial democracy. Ideologically an African nationalist and socialist, he served as the president of the African National Congress (ANC) party from 1991 to 1997.

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."

-- Nelson Mandela

"When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw."

-- Nelson Mandela

"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear."

-- Nelson Mandela

"A good head and good heart are always a formidable combination. But when you add to that a literate tongue or pen, then you have something very special."

-- Nelson Mandela

"It always seems impossible until it's done."

-- Nelson Mandela

Priyanka Chopra Jonas (born 18 July 1982) is an Indian actress and film producer. The winner of the Miss World 2000 pageant, she is India's highest-paid actress and her accolades include two National Film Awards and five Filmfare Awards. In 2016, the Government of India honoured her with the Padma Shri, and Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Forbes listed her among the World's 100 Most Powerful Women, and in 2022, she was named in the BBC 100 Women list.

Smriti Mandhana (born 18 July 1996) is an Indian international cricketer and the vice-captain of the Indian women's national team. She was part of the Indian team that won the 2025 Women's Cricket World Cup, the Women's Asia Cup in 2016 and 2022. She also won a gold medal in the 2022 Asian Games, and a silver medal in the 2022 Commonwealth Games representing India.

Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950) is an English business magnate who co-founded the Virgin Group in 1970, and, as of 2016, controls five companies.

Branson expressed his desire to become an entrepreneur at a young age. His first business venture, at the age of 16, was a magazine called Student. In 1970, he set up a mail-order record business. He opened a chain of record stores, Virgin Records—later known as Virgin Megastores—in 1972. His Virgin brand grew rapidly during the 1980s, as he started the Virgin Atlantic airline and expanded the Virgin Records music label. In 1997 he founded the Virgin Rail Group to bid for passenger rail franchises during the privatisation of British Rail. The Virgin Trains brand operated the InterCity West Coast franchise from 1997 to 2019, the InterCity CrossCountry franchise from 1997 to 2007 and the InterCity East Coast franchise from 2015 to 2018. In 2004, he founded the space tourism company Virgin Galactic, based at Mojave Air and Space Port in California, United States, noted for the SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplane.

Today is:

▪︎ Nelson Mandela International Day 

▪︎ World Listening Day

▪︎ Birth anniversary of Nelson Mandela, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Smriti Mandhana, Richard Branson 

▪︎ Death anniversary of Khosrow Shakibai, Rajesh Khanna, Bhupinder Singh