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General Awareness and Current Affairs

Electrical Mentor
Author: BNSS Shankar, M.Tech (IITK), MIE

Important Days and Years

This section will cover the important days and years in very brief manner and will be useful for
competitive exam preparations:
1. Important days of the year
2. Health related days
3. Animal related days
4. Important years in Indian History
5. Important years in World History

1. Important Days of the year

Date Day Remarks

12-Jan National Youth Day Birthday of Swami Vivekananda
Field Marshall K.M. Cariappa took over
the command of Army on this day in
15-Jan Army Day 1949 from the British.
The largest Nazi death camp,
Auschwitz-Birkenau, was liberated by
27-Jan International Holocaust Day Soviet troops on Jan 27, 1945.
30-Jan Martyr's Day Martyrdom day of Mahatma Gandhi

13-Feb National Women's day Sarojini Naidu's Birth day

14-Feb St. Valentine's Day -

Marks the discovery of Raman Effect in
28-Feb National Science Day 1928 by C.V. Raman

8-Mar International Women's Day -

15-Mar World Consumer Day
7-Apr World Health Day
President John F Kennedy formally
addressed the issue of consumer rights
on this day in 1963.
WHO was formed on this day in 1948,
but the first World Health Day was
observed in 1950.

1-May International Worker's Day -

JH Dunant, the man behind Red Cross
8-May International Red Cross Day was born on this day in 1828.
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Nuclear tests at Pokhran carried out in

11-May National Technology Day 1998 on this day.
Former PM Shri Rajiv Gandhi was
21-May Anti-terrorism Day assassinated on this day in 1991.

5-Jun World Environment Day -

21-Jun International Yoga Day -

11-Jul World Population Day Inspired by 5 Billion Day in 1987

12-Jul Malala Day Birthday of Malala Yousafzai

6-Aug Hiroshima Day Bombing of Hiroshima on 6 Aug, 1945

9-Aug August Kranti Diwas Launch of Quit India Movement in 1942

Commemorates the day when 22 aid

workers were killed in a bombing at the
19-Aug World Humanitarian Day UN headquarters in Baghdad in 2003
20-Aug Sadbhawna Diwas Birthday of Shri Rajiv Gandhi (1944)

29-Aug National Sports Day Birthday of Shri Dhyanchand (1905)

5-Sep Teacher's Day Birthday of Dr. Radhakrishanan (1888)

8-Sep International Literacy Day -

Hindi accorded the Official language
status by the Constituent Assembly on
14-Sep Hindi Diwas this day in 1949.
Statutes of United Nations World
Tourism Organisation adopted on this
27-Sep World Tourism Day day in 1980.
International Non-violence
2-Oct Day Birthday of Mahatma Gandhi (1869)
IAF was officially established on this
8-Oct Indian Air Force Day day in 1932.
Food and Agricultural Organisation was
16-Oct World Food Day founded on this day in 1945.
Charter of the United Nations came into
24-Oct United Nations Day force on this day in 1945.
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31-Oct Rashtriya Ekta Diwas
11-Nov National Education Day
14-Nov Children's Day
19-Nov National Integration Day
26-Nov Constitution Day (India)
1-Dec World AIDS Day
4-Dec Navy Day
7-Dec Armed Forces Flag Day
10-Dec Human Rights' Day
16-Dec Vijay Diwas
18-Dec Minorities Rights Day
24-Dec National Consumers' Day
25-Jan National Voters' Day
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Birth Anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai
Patel
Birthday of Shri Maulana Abul Kalam
Azad (1888), the first Education
Minister of India.
Birthday of Shri Jawaharlal Nehru
(1889)
Martyrdom of Smt Indira Gandhi (1984)
Constitution of India was adopted on
this day (1949)
-
Commemorates the courageous attack
on the Karachi harbour during the Indo-
Pakistan war of 1971 in Operation
Trident.
-
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
was proclaimed and adopted on this day
in 1948.
Marks India's victory over Pakistan in
the Indo-Pak war in 1971.
United Nations adopted and
promulgated the Declaration on the
Rights of Persons belonging to National
or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic
Minorities on this day in 1992.
-
With effect from 2011
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2. Important Days related to Diseases/Disorders

Date Day
4-Feb World Cancer Day
21-Mar World Down Syndrome Day
24-Mar World Tuberculosis Day
2-Apr World Autism Awareness Day
7-Apr World Health Day
17-Apr World Hemophilia Day
25-Apr World Malaria Day
25-Jun World Vitiligo Day
28-Jul World Hepatitis Day
21-Sep World Alzheimers Day
28-Sep World Rabies Day
12-Oct World Arthritis Day
20-Oct World Osteoporosis Day
12-Nov World Pneumonia Day
14-Nov World Diabetes Day
1-Dec World AIDS Day

3. Important Days of the Year dedicated to Animals

Date Day
20-Jan Penguin Awareness Day
31-Jan International Zebra Day
18-Feb World Pangolin Day
27-Feb International Polar Bear Day
3-Mar World Wildlife Day
20-Mar World Sparrow Day
14-Apr Dolphin Day
24-Apr World Day for Laboratory Animals
25-Apr World Penguin Day
Second Saturday
of May International Migratory Bird Day
International Kangaroo Care Awareness
15-May Day
23-May World Turtle Day
21-Jun World Giraffe Day
22-Jun World Camel Day
29-Jul International Tiger Day
10-Aug World Lion Day
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12-Aug World Elephant Day

19-Aug International Orangutan Day
Third Saturday
of September International Red Panda Day
22-Sep World Rhino Day
23-Oct International Snow Leopard Day
4-Dec International Cheetah Day
14-Dec International Monkey Day

4. Important years in Indian History

Year Event

First telegraph line in India is operational between Calcutta and Diamond

1851 Harbour.
1853 First train in India runs from Bombay to Thane.
First war of Indian independence also called the Sepoy Mutiny by the
1857 British.
The first complete census of population conducted on a uniform basis
1881 throughout India.
Formation of Indian National Congress by A.O. Hume, Dadabhai Naoroji,
1885 Dinshaw Wacha, W.C. Bonnerjee and others.
1905 Partition of Bengal by Lord Curzon. Swadeshi Movement launched.
Indian Council Act popularly known as Minto Morley reforms allowing a
1909 limited increase in the involvement of Indians in governance passed.
Visit of King George V to India, Shifting of capital from Calcutta to Delhi.
Jana Gana Mana first sung at Calcutta session of INC. Launch of first air
1911 mail in India & World from Bumraulli to Allahabad.
Government of India Act, 1919 introducing dyarchy, Rowlatt Act,
1919 Jallianwala Bagh tragedy.
1920 Khilafat movement, Launch of Non-cooperation movement.
1922 Chauri Chaura outrage in UP, Suspension of Non-cooperation movement.
1928 Visit of Simon Commission to India, Death of Lala Lajpat Rai
Resolution of complete independence at Lahore session of Indian National
1929 Congress.
1930 Dandi March, Launch of the Civil Disobedience Movement.
1931 Gandhi Irwin pact, execution of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru.
1935 Government of India Act.
1942 Quit India movement, Formation of Azad Hind Fauz.
1943 Visit of Cripps Commission to India.
1946 British Cabinet mission visited India.
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1947 Independence and partition of India.

1948 Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, 1st Pak aggression
1950 India became republic
1951 1st Five year plan and 1st Asian Games in Delhi
1952 1st General elections
1954 Panchasheel signed by India and China
1956 Reorganisation of Indian states on linguistic basis
1957 Introduction of decimal system in currency
1959 First television service started in India in New Delhi.
1961 Liberation of Goa from the Portuguese
1962 Chinese aggression
1964 Death of Jawaharlal Nehru
1965 Indo-Pak war
1966 Death of Lal Bahadur Shastri
Split in Indian National Congress and nationalisation of 14 banks. India's
1969 first Atomic Power Station Tarapur commences commercial operation.
1971 Indo-Pak war
1972 Simla agreement signed between India and Pakistan
First nuclear test codenamed Smiling Buddha carried out at Pokhran
1974 (Rajasthan)(May 18).
First Indian satellite Aryabhatta launched, Imposition of Emergency in the
1975 country.
1977 Congress loses power for the first time at the centre
1980 Return of Congress to power, nationalisation of six more banks.
1982 Colour television comes to India. IX Asian Games held in Delhi.
1984 Death of Indira Gandhi.
Death of Rajiv Gandhi. Commencement of economic liberalisation in
1991 India.
1992 Demolition of Babri Masjid.
1995 Internet comes to India.
1998 Indias second nuclear test codenamed Operation Shakti.
1999 Kargil invasion by Pakistani troops.
2000 India's population reaches 1 billion mark.
2001 Earthquake in Gujarat (January), Attack on Indian Parliament (December).
2002 Godhra incident.
2004 Tsunami in Indian Ocean.
2008 Launch of India's first lunar probe, Chandrayaan-1.
2013 Launch of Mars Orbiter Mission.

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Author: BNSS Shankar, M.Tech(IIT K), MIE
 Page 7 of 8

5.Important years in world history

Event Year
Birth of Jesus Christ 4 B.C.
Death of Jesus Christ 29 A.D.
Birth of Prophet Mohammed 570
Emigration of Mohammed to Madina, Beginning of Hijri
era 622
Death of Prophet Mohammed 632
Magna Carta, first document limiting the powers of KIng
of Enland was signed 1215
Black Death, most devastating pandemic in Europe killed
over 100 million people 1348-50
100 years war between England and France 1337-1453
Christopher Columbus discovers the New World 1492
Vasco da Gama discovers the sea route from Europe to
India 1497-98
Defeat of Spanish Armada also known as Invincible Fleet
by England 1588
Great Plague of London which killed about 1 million
people in the city 1665-66
Great fire of London which destroyed about 70000 homes 1666 (2 - 5
in the city Sep)
7 years war involving the great powers of the time 1757-1763
Declaration of independence of United States of America 1776
Beginning of the French Revolution 1789
Battle of Waterloo in which Napolean was defeated 1815
The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich
Engels published 1848
On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin published 1859
Slavery is abolished by the 13th Amendment in the
United States of America 1865
First modern Olympic Games held at Athens 1896
Robert Peary reached the North Pole 1909
Roald Amundsen reached the South Pole 1911
Republic of China is established, Titanic sinks 1912
1st World War 1914-1918
Russian Revolution ending the Tsarist autocracy 1917
USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) came into
existence 1922
Beginning of the Great Depression 1929
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2nd World War 1939-1945

Dropping of Atom Bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki 1945
Launch of Sputnik 1, marking the beginning of space age 1957
Landing of Apollo 11 with Neil Armstrong on the surface
of moon 1969
Chernobyl disaster 1986
World Wide Web invented 1990
Dissolution of USSR 1991
End of apartheid in South Africa 1994
9/11 attack on World Trade Center 2001
Tsunami in Indian Ocean 2004
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster 2011

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If you find any discrepancy, please write an email to electrical.mentor@gmail.com
Author: BNSS Shankar, M.Tech(IIT K), MIE