This day in history: World Suicide Prevention Day marked on September 10
World Suicide Prevention Day falls on September 10, a date that has also seen notable historical births, deaths and events over the years.
Every year on September 10, World Suicide Prevention Day is observed around the world. The day aims to raise awareness about the serious issue of suicide and to encourage concrete steps to prevent it. Suicide is a major social problem that claims many lives every year and leaves families broken.
On this day, several programmes, seminars and campaigns are organised in India and abroad to spread awareness about mental health. Stress, depression and mental health issues, if not treated in time, increase the risk of suicide. Timely help can go a long way in preventing such incidents.
The date has also seen several major events in history. In 1846, Elias Howe received a patent for the sewing machine in America. In 1898, Luigi Lucheni assassinated Empress Elisabeth of Austria. In 1936, the first World Individual Motorcycle Speedway Championship was held. In 1939, during the Second World War, Canada declared war on Germany. In 1943, German forces began occupying Rome. In 1966, the state of Punjab was divided to form two separate states, Punjab and Haryana. In 1967, in a referendum, the people of Gibraltar voted to remain with Britain rather than join Spain. In 1975, America's unmanned spacecraft Viking 2 was launched towards Mars. In 2002, Switzerland, long known for its neutrality, joined the United Nations. And in 2022, at a meeting held at St James's Palace following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III was formally proclaimed king.
Several well-known personalities were also born on this day. These include Test cricketer and Maharaja K. S. Ranjitsinhji (1872), in whose memory the Ranji Trophy cricket tournament has been played since 1934. Also born on this date were freedom fighter Govind Ballabh Pant (1887), India's second Union Home Minister and the first Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh; Nobel laureate American physicist Arthur Compton (1892); B. D. Jatti (1912), India's fifth Vice President; noted actress Bhakti Barve (1948); and Indian cricketer Manish Pandey (1989).
The day has also seen the deaths of several notable figures. These include Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China; Dr Vishram Ramji Ghole (1900), a noted surgeon and associate of Mahatma Phule; Bengali writer Sukumar Ray (1923); Nobel laureate English physicist George Paget Thomson (1975); Nobel laureate Swiss physicist Felix Bloch (1983); and Queen Elizabeth II (2022).
