History Today: When India carried out Balakot airstrike and avenged the death of 40 CRPF jawans

Six years ago on this day, the Balakot airstrike happened at around 3.30 am in the morning. The attack was India’s retaliatory response to the Pulwama attack that took the lives of 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans. It proved that India can retaliate to any dreadful actions towards its nation.

For history enthusiasts and those interested in important past events, Firstpost Explainers’ ongoing series History Today offers an extensive resource to explore key moments from the past.

On February 26, 1993, a truck bomb exploded in the parking garage of the North Tower of New York’s World Trade Center in the US, killing six people and injuring over 1,000 others.

Also, on this day in 1974, Nike secured a US patent for its waffle trainer running shoes. The now-iconic soles were invented by Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman using a waffle iron during breakfast.

Let’s take a look at these events:

Balakot Air Strike: India retaliates after Pulwama attack

The Balakot air strike was India’s first aerial offensive inside Pakistan since the Indo-Pak war. This operation was carried out in response to the Pulwama attack , which resulted in the deaths of 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel.

Following the Pulwama attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reportedly told top officials, “Jawab toh dena padega. Par aap behtar jaante hain kya-kya kar sakte hain” (We need to give a response. But you know better what all can be done), according to The Indian Express.

During the operation, a fleet of 12 Mirage 2000 fighter jets crossed the Line of Control (LoC) and struck a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) training camp in Balakot, Pakistan. The mission, named Operation Bandar, was executed by the Indian Air Force’s seventh and ninth squadrons.

The strike took Pakistan by surprise, delivering massive damage and sending a strong message that India would not remain silent over attacks on its soldiers. It was both a tribute to the Pulwama martyrs and a demonstration of India’s capability to retaliate with greater force.

The 2016 surgical strikes following the Uri attack had set a precedent, but the Pulwama incident, with its higher toll, required a stronger response. According to IE, the security establishment sought an attack that would have a visible impact on Jaish-e-Mohammed.

World Trade Center is bombed

On February 26, 1993, a terrorist bombing in the parking garage of New York City’s World Trade Center created a massive, multi-storey crater, causing several steel-reinforced concrete floors to collapse.

The attackers intended to bring down the North Tower onto the South Tower, but the explosion fell short of their goal. Six people lost their lives, over 1,000 were injured, and the damage to the World Trade Center exceeded $500 million.

Following the attack, authorities evacuated 50,000 people from the buildings, with hundreds suffering from smoke inhalation. The evacuation process continued throughout the afternoon.

A large-scale manhunt was launched by city authorities and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), leading to the arrest of several radical Islamic fundamentalists within days.

In March 1994, a federal jury convicted Mohammed Salameh, Ahmad Ajaj, Nidal Ayyad, and Mahmoud Abouhalima for their involvement in the bombing, sentencing each to life imprisonment.

The mastermind, Ramzi Ahmed Yousef, remained at large until his arrest in Pakistan in February 1995. Prior to his capture, he had been in the Philippines, where investigators discovered a computer containing terrorist plans, including an assassination plot against Pope John Paul II and a scheme to bomb 15 American airliners within 48 hours.

During his extradition to the United States, Yousef reportedly told a Secret Service agent that his only regret was that the 110-storey tower had not collapsed onto its twin as intended.

On September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda terrorists carried out a far deadlier attack, flying hijacked planes into the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center, completing the destruction Yousef had originally envisioned.

Nike patents waffle-soled running shoes

On February 26, 1974, Nike secured a US patent for its waffle trainer running shoes, an innovation credited to co-founder Bill Bowerman, who developed the distinctive sole using a waffle iron.

Before Nike became synonymous with Air Jordans and the slogan “Just do it,” it was a tiny sneaker company originating from the University of Oregon.

Track coach Bill Bowerman and his former student Phil Knight were dissatisfied with existing running shoes. In their search for lighter and faster footwear, they replaced traditional canvas and leather uppers with nylon and introduced a wedged heel.

The breakthrough, however, came during breakfast at the Bowerman household. As Barbara Bowerman recalled, “as one of the waffles came out, he said, ‘You know, by turning it upside down - where the waffle part would come in contact with the track - I think that might work.’”

Bowerman immediately experimented, pouring polyurethane into a waffle iron to create the first prototypes of Nike’s waffle sole. Though the waffle iron was destroyed in the process, the Nike waffle trainer was born.

He then sewed the newly designed soles onto running shoes, which quickly gained popularity. His patent application detailed “an athletic shoe suitable for use on artificial turf…the sole has short multi-sided polygon-shaped studs…which provide gripping edges that give greatly improved traction.”

This Day, That Year

1815: Napoleon Bonaparte escapes from exile on the Island of Elba, setting sail for France in an attempt to reclaim power.

1887: Anandi Gopal Joshi, the first Indian woman to earn a medical degree in the United States, passes away.

1957: Shaktikanta Das, Indian bureaucrat and the 25th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, is born.

2013: A hot air balloon catches fire during a sunrise flight over Luxor, Egypt, before plummeting 1,000 feet, killing 19 tourists.

2017: At the 89th Academy Awards, Emma Stone wins Best Actress, Casey Affleck wins Best Actor, and Moonlight takes home Best Picture.

With inputs from agencies