A. D. Patel

Ambalal Dahyabhai Patel, better known as A.D. Patel, (also sometimes referred to as AD) (1905–1969) was a Fiji Indian politician, farmers' leader and founder and leader of the National Federation Party. Patel was uncompromisingly committed to a vision of an independent Fiji, with full racial integration. He was one of the first to advocate a republic, an ideal not realized in his lifetime. He also advocated a common voters' roll and opposed the communal franchise that characterized Fijian politics.

Early life

Patel was born in the Kheda district of Gujarat, India, on 13 March 1905. He had three brothers and a sister. Ambalal and his younger brother, R. D. Patel, became barristers in Fiji (hence they were known as A.D. and R.D.). Ambalal received his primary and secondary education in Nadiad, which was the site used by Gandhi when he began his non-violent protest in India. He developed a habit of reading very early in his school days and excelled in secondary school. He then entered the prestigious Gujarat College in Ahmedabad and studied economics, politics and history. He graduated with Bachelor of Arts with honours in 1925 at the age of 2.

2430 A.D.

2430 A.D. is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It first appeared in the October 1970 issue of Think, the IBM house magazine, and was reprinted in Asimov's 1975 collection Buy Jupiter and Other Stories.

Early in 1970 the author was commissioned by Think to write a story based on a quotation by writer and social commentator J. B. Priestley:

Asimov, assuming that Think wanted a story that illustrated Priestley's quotation, crafted 2430 A.D. He selected the date because he calculated that at the then-current rate of human population growth, doubling every thirty-five years, that would be the year when the world's animal biomass would consist entirely of human beings. Asimov wrote the story on April 26, 1970 but it was rejected as Think had actually wanted a story that refuted the quotation. ("Well, they never said so," Asimov remarked later.) After Asimov wrote a second story that did refute the quotation, Think took the first story after all and published it in their October 1970 issue. The second story was later published in Analog magazine as The Greatest Asset. Both stories inspired by the Priestley quote were included in the 1975 collection Buy Jupiter and Other Stories.

1500

Year 1500 (MD) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

The year was seen as being especially important by many Christians in Europe, who thought it would bring the beginning of the end of the world. Their belief was based on the phrase "half-time after the time", when the apocalypse was due to occur, which appears in the Book of Revelation and was seen as referring to 1500.

Events

January–June

July–December

0 (year)

Year zero does not exist in the Anno Domini (or Common Era) system usually used to number years in the Gregorian calendar and in its predecessor, the Julian calendar. In this system, the year 1 BC is followed by AD 1. However, there is a year zero in astronomical year numbering (where it coincides with the Julian year 1 BC) and in ISO 8601:2004 (where it coincides with the Gregorian year 1 BC) as well as in all Buddhist and Hindu calendars.

Historical, astronomical and ISO year numbering systems

Historians

The Anno Domini era was introduced in 525 by Scythian monk Dionysius Exiguus (c. 470–c. 544), who used it to identify the years on his Easter table. He introduced the new era to avoid using the Diocletian era, based on the accession of Roman Emperor Diocletian, as he did not wish to continue the memory of a persecutor of Christians. In the preface to his Easter table, Dionysius stated that the "present year" was "the consulship of Probus Junior [Flavius Anicius Probus Iunior]" which was also 525 years "since the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ". How he arrived at that number is unknown.

4

Year 4 (IV) was a common year starting on Wednesday or a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar (the sources differ, see leap year error for further information) and a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Proleptic Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Catus and Saturninus (or, less frequently, year 757 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 4 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Events

By place

Roman Empire

9

Year 9 (IX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sabinus and Camerinus (or, less frequently, 762 Ab urbe condita). The denomination 9 for this year has been used since the late medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Events

By place

China

Roman Empire

1988

1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (dominical letter CB) of the Gregorian calendar, the 1988th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 988th year of the 2nd millennium, the 88th year of the 20th century, and the 9th year of the 1980s decade.

In the 20th century, the year 1988 has the most Roman numeral digits (11).

1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United States (NSFNET) and Europe (Nordunet) as well as the first Internet-based chat protocol, Internet Relay Chat. The concept of the World Wide Web was first discussed at CERN in 1988.

The Soviet Union began its major restructuring towards a mixed economy at the beginning of 1988 and began its gradual collapse. The first extrasolar planet, Gamma Cephei Ab (confirmed in 2002) was detected this year and the World Health Organization began its mission to eradicate polio, a feat that is nearly complete as of 2015.