February 13

Yoshisuke Aikawa was a visionary industrialist who established Nissan Motor Company in 1933 by merging several smaller firms into a single automotive powerhouse. As head of the Manchurian Industrial Development Company, he directed economic policy in Japanese-controlled Manchuria and later served in the Diet of Japan. After World War II, he played a key role in reviving Japan’s automotive industry under Allied occupation. Aikawa’s leadership in business and politics significantly influenced Japan’s modernization and postwar economic recovery.

Born in 1888, Cheong Eak Chong established trading and real estate ventures that shaped Singapore's economic landscape. His business acumen fostered urban growth and provided new opportunities in the colonial era. Chong was also a committed philanthropist, supporting education and welfare initiatives in the Chinese community. His ventures laid groundwork for modern financial and commercial institutions in the city-state. Chong's legacy endures through landmarks and charities that continue to serve Singaporeans.

Robert Klark Graham was an American eugenicist, aviator, and entrepreneur born in 1906. He made his fortune in real estate and aviation before turning his interests to human genetics. In 1980, he founded the Repository for Germinal Choice, a selective sperm bank that sought to encourage the birth of children from Nobel laureates and other intellectuals. His work ignited debates about ethics, heredity, and social engineering. Despite controversy, his sperm bank operated for over a decade and remains a notable episode in the history of assisted reproduction.