Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was born in 1939 in Tamil Nadu, India. He received his engineering degree from IIT Madras and worked on missile programs with ISRO and DRDO from 1958-1982, becoming the director of DRDO in 1982. He oversaw projects including India's Agni missile and Arjun tank. Kalam received India's highest civilian honors, the Bharat Ratna in 1997 and Padma Bhushan awards in 1981 and 1991. In 2002, he became the 11th President of India and was known as the "Missile Man" for his work on India's missile and weapons programs, including its first atomic blasts in 1974 and 1999.