A. P. J. Abdul Kalam - The Missile Man

A. P. J. Abdul Kalam was born on 15 October 1931 to Jainulabdeen, a boat owner, and Ashiamma, a housewife, in Tamil Nadu. He came from a poor background and started working at an early age to support his family financially.

1) A. P. J. Abdul Kalam is an Indian scientist and was India's President from 2002 to 2007.

2) He played a prominent role in India's 1998 nuclear weapons tests which established him as a national hero.

3) Before his term as the President of India, he worked as an Aerospace Engineer with DRDO and ISRO.

4) He is also well known as the Missile Man of India for his work on the development of ballistic missile and launch vehicle technology.

5) He used to get average grades in his school days, but his strong desire to learn, especially mathematics made him what he is today.

6) In 1998, he along with cardiologist Dr Soma Raju developed a low-cost coronary stent. It was later named 'Kalam-Raju Stent' honouring them.

7) In 2012, the same duo designed a rugged tablet PC for health care in rural areas, which was named 'Kalam-Raju Tablet'.

Apart from these, few people know that after completing his schooling he used to distribute newspapers to financially contribute to his father's income.