Current Affairs August 2019 - Persons in NEWS
1 - Tarun Chaudhri became first IAF pilot to complete wingsuit skydive jump
Wing Commander Tarun Chaudhri created history by becoming first Indian Air Force pilot to perform a wingsuit skydive jump, during the Kargil Diwas celebrations at Air Force Station in Jodhpur.
The jump was performed at a height of 8500 ft from a Mi-17 helicopter. It is known to be the first IAF Wing Suit Skydive Jump by a pilot who has flown and captained the same type of helicopter. The longest verified wingsuit BASE jump is 7.5 kilometres done by the American Dean Potter.
2 - Vidisha Baliyan becomes first Indian to win Miss Deaf World Pageant
India's Vidisha Baliyan was crowned Miss Deaf World 2019, held in Mbombela, South Africa becoming the first Indian to win the crown. 21-year-old Vidisha hails from Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh and is a modelling student of Asian Academy of Film & Television.
Vidisha is also a former international tennis player having represented India in the Deaflympics and won a silver medal. She also won two silver medals at the national games in 2016.
3 - Indian-Origin Doctor Bhasha Mukherjee Crowned Miss England 2019
23-Year-Old Indian-Origin British Doctor Bhasha Mukherjee has been crowned Miss England 2019. She will compete in the 69th Miss World contest to be held in December in London. She has a Bachelor's degree in medicine and surgery from the University of Nottingham.
Bhasha has an IQ of 146, making her officially a "genius". Her family shifted base to the UK when she was 9 years old. She now stays in Derby.
4 - France’s Franky Zapata successfully crosses English Channel on hoverboard for 1st time
French inventor Franky Zapata successfully crossed the English Channel on his Flyboard Air, a jet-powered hoverboard. He departed from Sangatte, France and arrived in Dover, England.
Zapata invented the Flyboard in 2011, a device that uses a water jet to propel the rider through the air behind a boat. He later invented the Flyboard Air, a board powered by four turbo jet engines that allows a rider to fly through the air untethered, using a computer to keep it stabilized.
5 - Naaz Joshi won Miss World Diversity Crown for third time
India’s Naaz Joshi created history by becoming the first transgender to win the Miss World Diversity title for the third consecutive year. She also became the first transgender person to win an international crown against cis-gendered women.
Naaz competed against 14 other international contestants in Mauritius. Naaz has also been crowned as Miss Republic International Beauty Ambassador 2017 and Miss United Nationals Ambassador.
6 - Priyam Chatterjee became first Indian chef to win French honour
French Government honored Indian chef Priyam Chatterjee with 'Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite Agricoleto'(Order of Agricultural Merit) in recognition of his reinventing the gastronomic scene in India. He became first Indian chef to receive this honor. He is known for revisiting of traditional dishes of his native state, West Bengal giving it a French twist and masterful plating.
Priyam has been trained under French chef Jean Claude and is presently the head chef at Jaan Restaurant Yacht in France. The Order of Agricultural Merit is an order of merit that honors outstanding contributions to agriculture.
7 - Madhya Pradesh para swimmer Satendra Singh Lohia crossed America's Catalina Channel
Madhya Pradesh’s Divyang Satendra Singh Lohia became the first Asian swimmer to cross the Catalina Channel of America. Satendra holds the Asian record of crossing both the English and Catalina channels.
Satendra led the Indian Para Relay team along with five team mates and crossed the 42 kms Catalina Channel in 11 hours 34 minutes at water temperature of 13 degrees Celsius. Satyendra has also been honoured with the Vikram Award, the highest sports award in Madhya Pradesh.
8 - Indian-American teen won South Asian Spelling Bee competition 2019
New Jersey’s Indian-American teenager Navneeth Murali, won the 2019 South Asian Spelling Bee contest by correctly spelling the word ‘flipe’, variant spelling of flype. He received annual title and USD 3,000 grand prize. Texas’ Pranav Nandakuma and California’s Vayun Krishna was first runners-up.
South Asian Spelling Bee is an annual spelling bee platform in U.S. that conducts contest among students of South Asian descent of at or below the age of 14 years. It was conducted among 600 spellers in five regional centers across the U.S.
9 - Mitchell Johnson elected as MCC Honorary Life Member
Former Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson has been elected as an honorary member of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). The left-arm seamer lies fifth on Australia’s list of all-time Test wicket-takers. The Club has bestowed this honour in recognition of his outstanding achievements in cricket.
Johnson made his Test bow in 2007 and in his 73 Test matches for Australia, he claimed 313 wickets at an average of 28.40. He also claimed 239 wickets in 153 One-Day Internationals, at an average of 25.26, and 38 wickets in his 30 T20 Internationals.
10 - Scarlett Johansson topped Forbes highest-paid actresses list
Hollywood star Scarlett Johansson has once again topped Forbes' list of the highest-paid actresses with earnings $56 million. Her movie Avengers: Endgame of 2019 paid her $35 million. The list included Sofia Vergara ($44.1mn) at 2nd, Reese Witherspoon ($35mn) at 3rd, Nicole Kidman ($34mn) at 4th and Jennifer Aniston ($28mn) at 5th place.
The list included newcomers Elisabeth Moss and Margot Robbie. World's ten highest-paid actresses tallied a combined $314.6 million between June 1, 2018, and June 1, 2019.
11 - IAF’s Shalija Dhami became a first female flight commander
Shaliza Dhami, who served as a Wing Commander in the Indian Air Force created history by becoming India's first woman Flight Commander. She took over as Flight Commander of a Chetak helicopter unit at Hindon airbase. She is also known as the IAF's first female Qualified Flying instructor for Chetak and Cheetah helicopters.
Ludhiana’s Shaliza Dhami is a permanent commission officer of the flying branch in the Air Force. Shaliza who has served IAF for 15 years, is known to be first woman officer to be granted permanent commission for a long tenure.
