It is April 16 and we have some historic moments that transpired on this day back in the years. It was exactly 169 years ago to this day that the first-ever passenger railway journey in India took place. The trip was from Bombay's Bori Bunder station to Thane, covering a total distance of 34 kilometres. This might sound meagre but it was only a sign of major things to come for Indian Railways.
Besides, the train's passenger count was an impressive 400 people hauled in 14 carriages by three steam locomotive engines which were named the Sahib, Sindh and Sultan. The railway line was, of course, built by the British under the name of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway (GIPR). It was built in a broad gauge of size 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in), which later became the norm for railways in the country. By the next year, the Bombay-Thane railway line was extended to Kalyan over the Thane creek using what were India's first railways bridges. The railways also came up in the east of India from Howrah (near Calcutta) to Hooghly around the same time. No doubt that the mid-19th century saw the birth and boom of Indian Railways.
The last dunk
The date is also marked in sports history with reference to Michael Jordan in more ways than one. The first time "His Airness" made history on April 16 was in the year 1987, when he became just the second NBA player in history to score over 3,000 points in a regular season of basketball, the first being Wilt Chamberlain. That season he averaged a hugely impressive 37.1 points per game. He also combined this with his defensive prowess as he became the first player ever to rack up 200 steals and 100 blocked shots in a season. Interestingly, despite all these firsts, Jordan was pipped to the NBA MVP award by Magic Johnson.
The second piece of history on April 16 by Jordan was his OG last dance as he played his final game of a once-in-a-lifetime career. The game between his team Washington Wizards and the Philadelphia 76ers was played in Philadelphia in 2003. It was always going to be a tear-jerker of an event and perhaps it was no wonder that MJ received a standing ovation of no less than three minutes from his teammates, opponents, fans and even the officials. Considering the career and show he put up for basketball lovers for close to two decades, the farewell was just fitting for King Jordan.
