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.

22 March 1942 Cripps Mission What happened? Sir Stafford Cripps arrived in India to hold talks with the Indian leaders in an effort to gain...
21 March 1977 Emergency ended What happened? The Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi on 25 June 1975 ended after 21 months on 21 March 1977....
Dara Shikoh (also spelt as Dara Shukoh) was the son of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and brother of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. He is an important part...
19 March 1982 Death of Acharya Kripalani What happened? Jivatram Bhagwandas Kripalani, better known as Acharya Kripalani died on 19 March 1982...
Iron Fist Exercise is an Indian Army Exercise (Air Force). There are two editions of Exercise Iron Fist. The first exercise took place in 2013...
On 17 March 1988, the first indigenous remote sensing satellite developed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), the IRS-1A was...
16 March 1901 Birth of Potti Sreeramulu What happened? Potti Sreeramulu, the man who fasted unto death for the sake of statehood for Andhra was...
15 March 1950 Planning Commission formed What happened? The Planning Commission of India was formed on 15 March 1950. It formulated the...
On 14 March 1883, Karl Marx, the German philosopher, economist and political theorist, the founder of the politico-economic theory known as...
13 March 1800 Death of Nana Phadnavis What happened? Nana Phadnavis (also spelt as Nana Fadnavis), a brilliant Maratha statesman and eminent...
12 March 1930 Dandi March What happened? Mahatma Gandhi started the 24-day march from his Sabarmati Ashram to the coastal town of Dandi to...
The Battle of Kharda that took place on 11th March 1795, was an important event in modern Indian history. In this article, you can read about the...
10 March 1922 Mahatma Gandhi arrested for sedition. What happened? On March 10, 1922, Mahatma Gandhi was arrested and tried for sedition. He...
What happened? On 9 March, 1858, on the concluding day of the trial of Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, he was sentenced to be deported on...
The United Nations celebrated its first official International Women's Day on 8 March during International Women's Year in 1975. Thereafter,...
On 7 March 2006, a series of bombs went off in the holy city of Varanasi killing at least twenty-eight people and injuring more than a hundred....
06 March 1775 Treaty of Surat What happened? On 6 March 1775, the Treaty of Surat was signed between Raghunathrao, a claimant to the throne of...
05 March 1931 Gandhi-Irwin Pact What happened? The historic Gandhi-Irwin Pact was concluded between Mahatma Gandhi and the then viceroy of...
04 March 1939 Death of revolutionary Lala Har Dayal. What happened? Revolutionary leader Lala Har Dayal passed away in Philadelphia, USA aged...
The Battle of Tukaroi was fought between the Mughals army and the Sultanate of Bangala and Bihar on 3 March 1575. It resulted in the Mughal...