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This Day in History on 18 August
The historical events hold a lot of value for aspirants who are sitting for UPSC competitive exams including the IAS Exam.
On this page, we will list all historical events that occurred on 18 August. The students can refer them while preparing for all competitive exams and banking exams.
Important Days
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Important Events
1800: Fort William College was established at Calcutta.
1841: Britain established world’s first National Fire brigade.
1907: Madam Bhikaji Cama, addressed the International Socialist Congress at Stuttgart, Germany.
1920: The 19th amendment of the United States Constitution was ratified, guaranteeing woman suffrage.
1945: Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose left Saigon and is believed to have died in a Japanese aeroplane crash at Taihoku Airport in Taiwan.
1945: Sukarno became the First President of Indonesia.
1951: Indian Institute of Technology was opened in Kharagpur, West Bengal.
1957: Tilak Raj was appointed the Narcotics Commissioner of India. He headed his office for four years till 6th September 1961.
1958: Brojen Das became the First Asia Person Who swam across the English Channel in competition.
1963: James Meredith became the first African American to graduate from the University of Mississippi.
1990: President R Venkataraman presented the colours to the Officers Training Academy in recognition of their services to the Nation.
1993: The Transport Development Council decides to abolish Pathkar (entry tax) and increase the fee for national permit from Rs. 1500 to Rs. 5000.
1997: Shanvac-B, India’s first genetically engineered vaccine for Hepatitis B was launched.
2000: The Supreme Court rejects a petition filed by former Navy chief Vishnu Bhagwat challenging his dismissal from service and the consequent direction stripping him of the title Admiral.
2005: A massive power blackout hits the Indonesian island of Java, affecting almost 100 million people, one of the largest and most widespread power outages in history.
2008: President of Pakistan Parvez Musharraf resigned under threat of impeachment.
2008: War of Afghanistan: Uzbin Valley ambush occurs.
2017: The first terrorist attack ever sentenced as a crime in Finland kills two and injures eight.
2019: 100 activists, officials, and other concerned citizens in Iceland hold a funeral for Okjökull glacier, which has completely melted after once covering six square miles (15.5 km2).
Birth/Birth Anniversary
1700: Baji Rao I, the 7th Peshwa of Maratha Empire in India.
1792: John Russell, former Prime Minister of United Kingdom.
1830: Franz-Josef I, an Austro Hungarian emperor who invaded Serbia and helped initiate World War I.
1872: Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar Gadgil, who provided new heights to North Indian classical music, was born at Kundanwadi at Kolhapur district in Maharashtra.
1891: Jain Muni Mishrimalji, poet, social reformer and orator, was born in Pali, Rajasthan.
1896: Raghupati Sahay “Firaq Gorakhpuri”, revolutionary Urdu poet, was born. He was honoured with the highest literary awards, including the Sahitya Academy Award in 1960 and Bharatiya Gyanpeeth Award in 1969. His notable works include “Ruh-e-Kayenaat (Spirit of Universe, 1945)” and “Ramz-O-Kinayaat (Suggestion, 1946)”.
1900: Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, Indian diplomat, and politician who became the first woman President of the United Nations General Assembly.
1911: Adityanath Jha, former Governor of Delhi, was born.
1920: Harbhajan Singh, educationist and writer, was born at Lumding.
1923: Jamshed Khudadaad Irani, cricket wicket-keeper for India during the 1947-48 Australia tour, was born in Karachi.
1923: Sadashiv “Sadu” Ganpatrao Shinde, cricketer (Indian leg-spinner during the late 1940’s and early 1950’s), was born in Bombay.
1933: Roman Polanski, a polish film director who has worked in Europe and the USA, directing films such as Repulsion, Rosemary’s baby, and The Sundance kid.
1934: Gulzar, one of the most popular Urdu poets from India.
1946: Aruna Irani, an Indian actress.
1951: V. K. Sasikala, an Indian politician and the president of the Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazagam political party in Tamil Nadu.
1956: Sandeep Madhusudan Patil, Indian cricketer and coach
1959: Nirmala Sitaraman, Indian Politician. The current minister of finance and former defense minister. She is the second female finance minister and second female defense minister after Indira Gandhi in India.
1967: Daler Mehndi, an Indian recording artist, and performer, helped popularized Bhangra music. His first album Bolo Ta Ra Ra (1995) sold 20 million copies worldwide.
Death/ Death Anniversary
1227: The Mongol ruler Genghis Khan, the conqueror of a vast empire that extends from the pacific to Dnieper River, died after falling from his horse.
1886: Eli Whitney Blake, American inventor, Invented mortise lock.
1945: Subhas Chandra Bose, Indian activist and politician (b. 1897)
1958: Dr.Bhagwandas, famous Congress leader and theosophist, died.
1969: Humayun Kabir, great politician, died.
1979: Vasantrao Naik, Indian politician.
1990: Pandit Narayan Chaturvedi, senior Hindi litterateur, died.
1995: Parvati Giri, also called the Little Mother Teresa, died in Orissa. She was 69. She was a social worker and had taken part during the Quit India movement.
1998: Persis Khambatta, Indian model and actress, Femina Miss India 1965 (b. 1948)
2009: Kim Dae-Jung, eighth President of South Korea.
2012: Ra. Ki. Rangarajan, Indian journalist and author (b. 1927)
2015: Suvra Mukherjee, Wife of former Indian president Pranab Mukherjee. (b. 1940)
2018: Kofi Annan, Ghanaian politician who served as the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006.