This Day in History on 18 December
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 December. The students can refer to them while preparing for all competitive exams and banking exams.
Important Days
International Migrants Day
Important Events
1271: Kublai Khan renamed his empire as Yuan and started a dynasty.
1398: Timurlang defeated Sultan Nusrat Shah and captured Delhi.
1777: First Thanksgiving celebrated in the United States.
1787: New Jersey became the third state to accept the US Constitution.
1833: The national anthem of the Russian Empire, God Save the Tsar, was sung for the first time.
1906: Gandhiji returns to South Africa.
1956: Japan joined the United Nations.
1958: The world’s first communications satellite, Project Score, was launched.
1960: Inauguration of National Museum in New Delhi.
1961: Government of India annexes military action in Goa, Daman & Diu. in the early hours. Naval ships had been patrolling off Marmagao when they saw the Portuguese figate Afonso de Albuquerque in harbour. Her guns were firing at the Indian Air Force. Indian naval ships ‘Betwa’, ‘Beas’ and ‘Cauvery’ closed in and engaged the frigate from a range of 8,000 yards.
1961: Lalchand Sitaram Rajput, cricketer (Indian Test opening batsman 1985-86), was born in Bombay.
1971: Bharat Ratna, India’s highest award, was given to Indira Gandhi (1917-1984), Prime Minister of India.
1971: Indira Gandhi, PM, receives the Bharat Ratna.
1977: Indira Gandhi resigns from the executive committee of the Congress party.
1978: Dominic joined the United Nations.
1984: Reactor Research Centre of Kalpakkam established on 12th March 1969 was renamed as Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research.
1988: Rajiv Gandhi visits China. It was the first visit to China in 34 years by an Indian PM.
1989: Justice Sabyasachi Mukherjee sworn in as Chief Justice of India.
1989: Savyasachi Mukherjee became the 20th Chief Justice of India.
1989: Prof. M. G. K. Menon sworn in Minister of State for Science and Technology.
1989: Rabi Ray from Orissa elected Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
1992: BJP expresses regret over the demolition of the Masjid in Ayodhya in Parliament.
1995: Dr. Julias K. Nyrere, former Tanzanian President, receives the first annual International Gandhi Peace Prize.
1995: The first International Gandhi Peace Prize was awarded to former Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere for his efforts to bring about social, economic, and political change through non-violent means.
1998: Sonia Gandhi hints that the Congress(I) is not keen on forming Government at the Centre with the help of other parties and that it would prefer to return to power on its own strength.
1999: Indian tennis duo Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhuapathi were named The Sportstar’s sportpersons of the Year-1999. Sunil Kumar, the teenaged national hardcourt tennis champion and Aarthie Ramaswamy, the world under-18 girls chess champion, received the ‘Young Achiever award’ while hockey wizard Leslie Claudius will be honoured with the ‘Legend of Indian Sport’ award.
1999: Dr. Romila Thapar, noted historian, cautions historians on Somnath temple.
1999: The PWG blasts a railway track in Bihar.
2000: M.S. Subbulakshmi gets the Bangalore-based Sri Rama Seva Mandali Trust’s maiden S.V. Narayanaswamy Rao Memorial National Award for promoting Indian Classical music.
2000: The Lok Sabha adopts the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2000 and the Government announces plan to set up a National Commission for Children.
2000: The Tatas and the Hindujas are shortlisted for disinvestment in both Air India and Indian Airlines, while Videocon International for the domestic airline.
2006: First elections were held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
2016: Indian junior hockey team defeated Belgium to win the Junior World Hockey Cup.
Birth/Birth Anniversary
1620: Heinrich Roth, a missionary, and pioneering Sanskrit scholar.
1756: Guru Ghasidas, freedom fighter and social reformer, was born in Girod a small village in Sona Khan.
1856: Sir J. J. Thomson, a British physicist, and Nobel Laureate in Physics.
1878: Joseph Stalin, a Georgian revolutionary, and Soviet politician.
1887: Bhikari Thakur, an Indian Bhojpuri poet, playwright, lyricist, actor, folk dancer, folk singer, and social activist.
1890: E. H. Armstrong, an American electrical engineer, and inventor.
1924: Justice Venkatramayya was born.
1928 – Mirza Tahir Ahmad, Indian-English caliph and author (d. 2003)
1946: Steven Allan Spielberg, an American film director, producer, and screenwriter.
1949: Joni Flynn, famous actress (Octopussy), was born in Assam, India.
1953: Charu Nivedita, a postmodern, transgressive Tamil writer.
1955: Vijay Mallya, an Indian businessman, and former Member of Parliament.
1961 – Lalchand Rajput, former Indian cricketer
1963: Brad Pitt, an American actor, and film producer.
1971: Barkha Dutt, an Indian journalist, and author.
1973 – Allamah Rasheed Turabi, Indian-Pakistani religious leader and philosopher (b. 1908)
Death/ Death Anniversary
1829: Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, a French naturalist.
1917: Surendranath Dasgupta, great educationist, passed away.
1973: Rasheed Turabi, an Islamic scholar, religious leader, public speaker, poet, and philosopher.
1995: Konrad Zuse, a German civil engineer, pioneering computer scientist, inventor, and businessman.
2004: Vijay Hazare, an Indian cricketer.
2011: Václav Havel, the last President of Czechoslovakia.