This Day in History - What happened today?

The historical events hold a lot of value for aspirants who are sitting for competitive exams including that of IAS Exam. BYJU’S initiative called ‘This Day in History’ covers every day of the calendar and recalls a major event that happened in the history of India and the world on this date which changed the course of history.

This article collaborates all historical days to make IAS Aspirants’ preparation for UPSC Civil Services Exam easy and more effective. The facts given will be helpful for aspirants in UPSC Prelims and UPSC Mains exams and many topics are mentioned in UPSC Syllabus too. 

This Day in History for UPSC will help aspirants in the preparation of History subject of UPSC Mains GS 1. To complement This Day in History articles, aspirants can refer to NCERT History notes for the UPSC Exam:

Significance of This Day in History Initiative

While following what has happened on a particular day, IAS aspirants get to know facts about major historical events and the intricacies related to them. ‘This day in History’ segment will bring answers to the following questions:

This Day in History – Features

What famous things happened on this day in history? It will help aspirants to know the significance of a historical date. Whether it was in relation with the history of India, Polity of India or Economy of India.
What is special on today’s date? Each date of the calendar is covered with the information on major happenings. The facts provided in these articles can be used in the UPSC Prelims and Mains exam. 
What happened in the 1800s, 1900s and 2000s? All important details about the historical events that took place in yesteryears and the present will be covered. 
Who in history died today? Death centenaries of imminent personalities are always in the news and hence, This Day in History brings the information about the demise of the famous persons.

This Day in History - What Happened Today? UPSC Preparation

How can UPSC aspirants use ‘This Day in History’ initiative for their preparation?

Candidates can take help from UPSC Previous Years’ Question Papers to see how the information provided in the ‘This Day in History’ segment can be utilized as per the need of the questions.  

This new section incorporates an important event that occurred on this day in history and explains the significance of the day for India and also the world. 

The article will give you important dates of historical events. Check the list of examples of important dates that will be brought out on This Day of History segment below:

  1. Wars breaking out/ending
  2. Peace treaties brokered
  3. Birth of Leading personalities
  4. The demise of national freedom struggle leaders
  5. A new game-changing governmental policy set out
  6. Any historical incident that occurred and gave a complete makeover to India, its people and in the development of the country

This section will go hand-in-hand with your UPSC 2020 preparation as it will enhance your knowledge about Indian history, polity and economy among others and help in improving your memory and associate with it what you have studied for the day. Read on to understand how to approach ‘This Day in History’ for your UPSC preparation:

This Day in History – UPSC Subject-Wise Articles

We are giving you some random dates and examples to help you understand how to utilize the segment, ‘This Day in History.’

#History – This Day in History

1. 19th July – Reformation of Gadgil Formula by Planning Commission 

How to approach 

  • The topics that become important for aspirants from this day in history are ‘Gadgil Formula’ and ‘Planning Commission.’  
  • Candidates should know what Gadgil Formula is and what it is about.
  • Similarly, candidates should know about the Planning Commission & its revamped version – Niti Ayog.

2. 19th August – First Rupee Coin was minted

How to approach

Aspirants should collect the following facts:

  • Where was the first rupee coin minted?
  • Who minted the coin?
  • What was the name given to the first rupee coin?
  • Monetary system prevalent in India under the British Impact. 

#Polity – This Day in History

1. 22nd July–  Adoption of the National Flag of India

How to approach

Aspirants should get the facts about the National Flag of India. Those facts can be used in Mains answers (GS 1, 2, essay and history optional papers.) Afterwards, aspirants can also check ‘National Symbols of India’ article for similar articles. 

2. 9th December – The first meeting of Constituent Assembly

How to approach

Aspirants should complement the historical facts with the evolution of the Indian Constitution which is important for both History (GS 1) and Polity (GS 2). Afterwards, aspirants can read more about the Indian Constitution at the linked article.

#Economy – This Day in History

1. 15th March – Planning Commission was formed

How to approach

Aspirants should know the changes brought in the Indian economy with the five-year plans launched by the Planning Commission. Later aspirants may check the detailed information about the Planning Commission of India at the linked article.

2. 8th November – Demonetization was announced

How to approach

Aspirants should know about the causes, impact and benefits of the demonetization in  India. They can read the detailed Demonetization essay at the linked article.

Reading ‘This Day in History’ regularly will help candidates to remember and recall important dates and events in the history of India easily.

11 December 1882 What happened? Great Tamil poet and nationalist Mahakavi Subramanya Bharathi was born on 11 December 1882 at Ettayapuram...
10 December 1948 What happened? [caption id="attachment_45092" align="alignright" width="237"] Eleanor Roosevelt with the...
9 December 1946 The first meeting of the Constituent Assembly " width="229" height="130" /> What happened? On 9 December 1946, the Constituent...
Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru was born on 8th December 1875 in Aligarh in present-day Uttar Pradesh. He was the leader of the Liberal Party and a lawyer....
7 December 1949 Armed Forces Flag Day What happened? On 7 December 1949, the country observed the first Armed Forces Flag Day in honour of the...
6 December 1956 Dr. B R Ambedkar passed away. What happened? On 6 December 1956, India’s first Law Minister and the chief architect of India’s...
5 December 1950 Death of Sri Aurobindo What happened? On 5 December 1950, revolutionary-turned spiritual reformer Sri Aurobindo passed away in...
4 December 1829 Abolition of Sati What happened? [caption id="attachment_44737" align="alignright" width="226"] Lord Bentinck; Raja Rammohan...
[caption id="attachment_44712" align="alignright" width="266"] Signing of thze Instrument of Surrender[/caption] The 1971 Indo-Pak War began...
On the night of 2 December 1984, a gas leak at the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant in Bhopal led to the deaths of about 4000...
1 December 1965 BSF was formed. What happened? On 1 December 1965, India’s first line of defence, the Border Security Force (BSF) was formed....
30 November 2012 Former Prime Minister I K Gujral passed away. What happened? On 30 November 2012, the Prime Minister of India from April 1997...
29 November 1869 Birth of social worker Thakkar Bapa. What happened? In this article, you can read about the life and contributions of eminent...
28 November 1890 Mahatma Jyotirao Phule passed away. What happened? On 28 November 1890, social reformer and educationist Jyotirao Govindrao...
27 November 1888 First Lok Sabha Speaker G V Mavalankar was born. What happened? On 27 November 1888, Ganesh Vasudev Mavalankar, the first...
25 November 1839 Coringa Cyclone What happened? On 25 November 1839, a deadly cyclone hit the port town of Coringa in Andhra Pradesh. The...
24 November 1675 Death of Guru Tegh Bahadur What happened? Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Guru of the Sikh religion was beheaded on the orders of...
On 23 November 1937, Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose, pioneering scientist passed away in Giridih, modern-day Jharkhand. To many in the scientific...
On 22 November 1916, Santi Ghose, one of the youngest revolutionaries of India was born in Calcutta. Read more on the life and contribution of...
21 November 1970 Eminent scientist Sir C V Raman passed away. What happened? On 21 November 1970, eminent Indian physicist and Nobel laureate...