January15

Sir William Jones, Judge and linguist, and Sir Warren Hastings established the Asiatic Society of Bengal at Calcutta. This was the first scholastic institution.

Food Corporation of India inaugurated in Madras.

Gandhiji hails Indian Cabinet's decision to release Pakistan dues of Rs. 550 million. Fast continues for establishment of communal peace.

Nearly 20,000 lives were claimed in a tremendous earthquake measured 8.4 on the Ricther Scale, in Bihar and parts of Nepal. Munger City was completely destroyed.

Baba Amte, social artist, receives Gandhi Peace Prize 1999, from the President K. R. Narayanan.

Shahjahan, great mughal emperor of India, was born at Lahore.

Shri Tripuraneni Ramaswamy Chowdary, freedom fighter and a great native poet, was born in village Angaluru, Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh.

Saifuddin Kitchlew, freedom fighter and President of the Punjab, was born at Amritsar.

Nanasaheb Ramji Tawde, educationist and scientist, was born at Taluq Malvan, Maharashtra.

Musaffir, Giani Gurmukh Singh, writer and politician, was born at Udhwal (Pakistan).

K.C.D. Brahaspati, great poet, playwright and orientalist, was born at Rampur, UP.

Ahmed Mohammad Mamsa, cricket Test Umpire for 6 tests from 1963-73, was born at Mumbai.

Babasaheb Anantrao Bhosle, eighth Chief Minister of Maharashtra, was born.

Dr. Martin Luther King, civil rights leader of the United States of America, freedom fighter and Nobel Prize awardee, was born at America.

Pritish Nandi, famous journalist, was born. Abul Kalam Azad became Minister of Education in the Government of India.

Gulzari Lal Nanda, Gandhian freedom fighter and twice acting Prime Minister in 1964 and 1966, died in Ahmedabad at the age of 100 years.

Chhatrapati Shivaji conquered Javali state.

Tamil becomes the official language of Madras.

The Indian Air Force achieved equal status with the Army and possessed in excess of 70,000 personnel and was nearing its 45-squadron goal. Its composition in the autumn of 1968 included 23 fighter category squadrons, three tactical bomber squadrons, a maritime patrol squadron (with ex-Air India L. 1049G Super Constellations), 11 transport squadrons, four AOP squadrons, a number of helicopter units and a few SAM squadrons.

Restoration of the original name of the city as "Mumbai" for Bombay Vide Maharashtra Act No, XXV of 1996.

Victoria Terminus (VT) station in Mumbai renamed Chhatrapati Shivaji Railway Terminus by the Centre.

Dinanath Damodar Dalal, great artist, passed away.

Kiran More stumps five West Indian batsman at Chidambaram Stadium in Madras thus creating a world Test record.

Narendra Hirwani makes a world record by capturing 16 West Indies wickets on Test debut at Chidambaram Stadium in Madras.

Erach Jahangir Sorabji Taraporewala, famous Indian language expert, passed away.

Binda Prasad Kashyap, 73, CPI leader, passed away in Nagpur.

Mi. Pa. Somasundaram (79), writer, poet, litterateur and associate of Rajaji, died in Chennai.

PM asks for judicial probe into Bombay riots, sanctions Rs. 1 crore aid for victims.

Pakistan's pilotless surveillance aircraft intrudes into Indian air space for the first time.