18 August in Indian and World History

OV Digital Desk

18 August in Indian and World History is celebrated, observed, and remembered for various reasons.18 August is the birth anniversary of Bajirao I, Vijayalakshmi Pandit, Lieutenant Colonel A. NS. Tarapore, and Sampoorn Singh Kalra.

18 August is also observed as the death anniversary of Subhash Chandra Bose, and Shree Narayan Chaturvedi.

Birth Anniversary on 18 August

18 August in Indian history is celebrated as the birth anniversary of the following personalities:

Bajirao I (8 August 1700 – 28 April 1740), a great general of the Maratha Empire general. He was the eldest son of Balaji Vishwanath and Radhabai. After the death of Balaji Vishwanath, Raja Shahu appointed him as his second Peshwa (1720-1740 AD). Bajirao I is also known as ‘Bajirao Ballal’ and ‘Thorley Bajirao’. Bajirao was the first expansionist person. He tried to spread the idea of ‘Hindu Pad Padshahi’ to expand the fame of the Hindu caste. Bajirao I was a great diplomat and a capable general. He encouraged King Shahu to take advantage of the weakening condition of the Mughal Empire and said- “Come let us strike the hollow trunk of this old tree, the branches will fall on their own. With our efforts, the Maratha ensign the Krishna River. It will start fluttering till Attock.” In response, Shahu said- “Surely you will bury it across the Himalayas. Surely you are a worthy son of a worthy father.” King Shahu had almost separated himself from the administration and the entire work of administration of the Maratha Empire was looked after by Peshwa Bajirao I. Bajirao I is considered the best among all the nine Peshwas. He was Born on 8 August 1700 in India.

Vijayalakshmi Pandit (18 August 1900 – 1 December 1990), a wealthy, aristocratic family and sister of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. The nation will always remember the great sacrifice and contribution that the ‘Nehru Parivar’ has made for India. Vijayalakshmi Pandit also made an important contribution to the independence of the country, which cannot be forgotten. He was imprisoned for his participation in the ‘Civil Disobedience Movement. Vijayalakshmi was an educated and enlightened woman and represented India in various conferences held abroad. She was the first woman minister in the political history of India. She was also the first Indian woman president of the United Nations. Vijayalakshmi Pandit was the first woman ambassador of independent India, who represented India in Moscow, London, and Washington. She was Born on 18 August 1900 in Utter Pradesh.

Lieutenant Colonel A. NS. Tarapore (18 August 1923 – 16 September 1965), an Indian soldier awarded the Param Vir Chakra. He received this honor posthumously in 1965. His full name is ‘Ardeshir Barjari Tarapore’ and his companions used to call him ‘Adi’. a. NS. The ancestors of Tarapore were related to the army of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Who were given 100 villages as an award for gallantry? One of the main villages was named Tara Por. Hence these people were called Tarapores. Born with a legacy of bravery, Tarapore had her early education at Sardar Dastur Boys School, Poona, from where she passed her matriculation in 1940. After that, he enrolled in the army. His military training was completed at Officer’s Training School, Golconda, and from there he was sent to Bangalore. He was commissioned into the 7th Hyderabad Infantry on 1 January 1942 as a commissioned officer. Adi accepted this appointment, but he wanted to join the Armored Regiment, in which the battle is fought by tanks. He reached there, but how; this episode is also interesting. He was Born on 18 August 1923 in Maharashtra.

Sampoorn Singh Kalra, popularly known as Gulzar is a famous lyricist of Hindi films. In addition, he is a poet, screenwriter, film director, playwright, and famous poet [dead links]. His works are mainly in Hindi, Urdu, and Punjabi, but he also composed in Braj Bhasha, Khari Boli, Marwari, and Haryanvi. Gulzar has also been honored with the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2002 and the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award given by the Government of India in 2004. In 2009, he won the Oscar for Best Song for his song Jai Ho in the Danny Boyle-directed film Slumdog Millionaire. He has also been awarded the Grammy Award for the same song. He was Born on 18 August 1936 in Panjab.

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Death Anniversary on 18 August

18 August in Indian history is observed as the death anniversary of the following personalities:

Subhash Chandra Bose (23 January 1897 – 18 August 1945), there was no other personality in the history of our country who was simultaneously a great general, a brave soldier, a wonderful player of politics and be a diplomat and a talker, sitting on the par with the leaders of international repute. Subhash Chandra Bose Jayanti is celebrated on 23 January, the birthday of Subhas Chandra Bose. For the independence of India, Subhash Chandra Bose almost aroused the light in the whole of Europe. Bose was a sage by nature, a devotee of God, and a patriot by body and mind. The speech was given by Subhash Chandra Bose in Rangoon’s ‘Jubilee Hall’ will forever be etched in the pages of history, in which he said – “My friends of the freedom struggle! Freedom wants a sacrifice. You have sacrificed a lot for freedom. but there is still life to be sacrificed. Freedom today needs priests who offer their heads like flowers. There is a need for such youths who can cut off their heads and offer them to the goddess of freedom. ‘You give me blood; I will give you freedom.’ Not even a drop of blood is enough to make an ocean of blood ready and drown the British Empire in it.” He died on 18 August 1945 in Odisha.

Shree Narayan Chaturvedi (28 September 1895 – 18 August 1990), a Hindi litterateur, publicist, creator, and journalist who devoted himself to Hindi throughout his life. He was also the editor of Saraswati Patrika. To make the nation the Hindi language, he instigated the living consciousness of the language among the people. Through his invaluable Hindi service, he carried forward the plans and goals of Bharat Ratna Madan Mohan Malaviya and Purushottam Das Tandon. Shri Narayan Chaturvedi is believed to have been born in the Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh in  1895  Shri Narayan Ji also retired from the Government of India’s government service on the same date of birth. [1] His father Shri Dwarka Prasad Sharma Chaturvedi was a renowned scholar of the Sanskrit language of his time in that area and he had composed more than a hundred books. Father’s wisdom had a direct impact on Shri Narayan Chaturvedi Ji. He died on 18 August 1990.

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Notable events on 18 August in Indian and World History

Some of the Notable events on 18 August in World History are mentioned below:

18 August 1923 – Ardeshir Tarapore, an Indian soldier, and Nobel Prize Laureate, was born.

18 August 1929 – Badri Narayan, an Indian writer, was born.

18 August 1940 – For the first time the weather map was broadcast on television.

18 August 1945 – The great freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chand Bose was severely injured in a plane crash in Taihoku, Taiwan in 1945, later he died in a military hospital.

18 August 1951 – The Indian Institute of Technology was established at Kharagpur, West Bengal.

18 August 1982 – A female cosmonaut sent by the Soviet Union to the space station Salyut-7.

18 August 1998 – Otto Wichterle a renowned Czech chemist and inventor whose pioneering work in the field of polymer chemistry and the invention of soft contact lenses revolutionized ophthalmology and eye care – died.

18 August 2008 – The Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh announced the implementation of the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission.

18 August 2010 – TVS Electronics included the Rupee symbol just above the tab in its new keyboard called ‘TVS Gold Bharat’.

18 August 2012 – At least 13 Afghan militants killed NATO airstrikes.

18 August 2013 – Six people were killed in a bomb blast on a bus in West Bengal.

18 August 2014 –  Hashim Khan, a squash player from Pakistan, died.

18 August Historical Significance

August 18th is a date rich with historical events that have shaped the course of human history. On this day in 293 BC, the oldest known Roman temple to Venus was founded, marking the start of the Vinalia Rustica, a grape harvest festival. In 1587, the legend of Saul Wahl becoming King of Poland for a day is rooted in this date. The trial of the Pendle witches, one of England’s most famous witch trials, began on August 18, 1612. Fast forward to 1868, and we find the discovery of helium by French astronomer Pierre Janssen. Moreover, the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, granting women the right to vote, was ratified on this day in 1920. Each of these events, among others, contributes to the tapestry of our shared global heritage, reflecting the diversity of human experience and the profound impact of historical milestones on our modern world.

Important Days of 18 August in History

Some of the Notable events on 18 August in History are mentioned below:

  • Helium Discovery Day (International): A day to commemorate the discovery of helium, which was first observed during a solar eclipse on August 18, 1868.
  • Bad Poetry Day (International): Encourages people to give poetry a try, even if it turns out to be bad, to explore the creative process.
  • National Couple’s Day (United States): Celebrates the bond and love between couples.
  • National Fajita Day (United States): Honors the sizzling Tex-Mex cuisine that is a favorite in many households.

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