July 21 in History: Pratibha Patil becomes first woman President; launch of INSAT-1C

The date July 21 holds special significance for all women in India as 12 years ago on this day, the country got its first and only woman President in the form of Pratibha Patil. Born on December 19, 1934, Patil took oath as the 12th President of India, becoming the first woman assume to the highest constitutional post of the country. A member of the Indian National Congress, Pratibha Patil won the elections on July 21 and held office from 2007 to 2012.

Over the years, a series of important events were recorded on July 21 in the history of India.

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Launch of INSAT -1C

INSAT-1C was among the INSAT series of satellites built by Ford Aerospace to satisfy the domestic communication requirement of India. INSAT-1C was launched from Guiana Space Centre in France using Ariane 3 rocket on July 21, in the year 1988. At launch, it had a mass of 1,190 kilograms (2,620 lb), and an expected operational lifespan of seven years. The mission failed and lasted only for about 1.3 years because the satellite lost its 6 C-band transponders and 2 S-band transponders when a power system failure knocked out one of the two buses.

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Indo-US nuclear deal

The Indo-US nuclear deal was an agreement signed between the United States of America and India in the year 2007. The agreement entailed a joint statement by former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and then US President George W Bush, under which India agreed to place all its civil nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards and, in exchange, the United States agreed to work toward full civil nuclear cooperation with India.

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