1. Full name of 'Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam' was 'Dr. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam'.
2. He was born on October 15, 1931 at Dhanushkothi in the temple town Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu.
3. He was born in a poor family, but he was an exceptionally brilliant child.
4. In order to support his poor family, young Kalam used to distribute newspapers after his school hours to add to his father's income.
5. Kalam passed the B.Sc. examination from Saint Joseph College, Thiruchirapalli. He joined Madras Institute of Technology (MIT).
6. His favourite subjects were Mathematics and Physics and ultimately, he took up aerospace engineering later in life.
7. His further knowledge in the field got upgraded when he joined Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) in 1958 and Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) in 1963.
8. He is known as the Missile Man of India. The various Indian Missiles of world order like Prithvi, Trishul, Akash, Agni, etc. are mainly the result of his efforts and caliber.
9. Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam became the 11th President of India. He served the country from 2002 to 2007.
10. For his excellence and brilliance, he was awarded the prestigious Bharat Ratna in 1998; Padma Vibhushan in 1990; and Padma Bhushan in 1981.
11. He was also a recipient of honorary doctorates from 40 universities.
12. A prolific writer, Kalam has authored around 15 books on various subjects ranging from nuclear physics to spiritual experiences.
13. Dr Kalam expired on Monday 27 July 2015. He suddenly fell unconscious when he was delivering a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management at Shillong.
14. On 30 July 2015, the former President was laid to rest at Rameswaram's Pei Karumbu Ground with full state honours.
15. Over 350,000 people attended the last rites, including the Prime Minister, the governor of Tamil Nadu and the chief ministers of Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh
16. Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was mainly interested in work.
17. He was a bachelor.
18. He was not interested in going abroad. He wanted to serve his motherland first. He said that he thinks his first and foremost duty is to serve his motherland.
19. He was fond of music and the Koran and the Gita.
20. His autobiography Wings of Fire: An Autobiography , first published in English, has been translated into 13 languages including French and Chinese.
21. Ever since becoming the head of the Indian State, he had been having interaction with children all over the country.
22. He was by no means a miracle man.
23. His advice to the youngster of the nation was to "dream dream and convert these into thoughts and later into actions".
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