Year 1786
In the British Parliament, Berk alleged 11 corruption charges against Indian Governor-General Warren Hastings.
APRIL 4
Daily Historical Chronicle
UPSC CSE • State PSC • SSC CGL Matrix
4 April: What Happened On This Day in History
Curated historical timeline of momentous political pacts, freedom struggle uprisings, constitutional developments, scientific breakthroughs, and prominent birthdays recorded on 4 April.
Observances & Special Days
Children's Day (Hong Kong, Taiwan)
Christian feast day:
International Day For Mine Awareness
Year 1858
Rani Laxmibai fled to Gwalior through Kalpi after giving a solid blow to British troops.
Year 1889
Makhanlal Chaturvedi, famous Hindi poet, writer, Hindi litterateur and President of All India, was born in Babai village, Madhya Pradesh.
Year 1898
Hiralal Sen and his brother Motilal Sen purchased a Bioscope Cinematographic Machine from London. The first show of imported films was arranged by them at Classic Theatre on April 4, after which they formed 'The Royal Bioscope Co.,' controlled by H. L. Sen & Bros., 85/2, Maszid Badi Street, Calcutta. The Bioscope Company started touring the provinces of Bengal, Orissa and Bihar.
Year 1905
In India, an earthquake hits the Kangra Valley, killing 20,000, and destroying most buildings in Kangra, McLeod Ganj and Dharamsala.
Year 1910
Sri Aurobindo left politics and reached Pondicherry, where he made the seat of Yoga.
Year 1926
Martial law is declared in Calcutta as rioting continues.
Year 1942
Japanese Navy destroyed 3 British battleships to sink in the Bay of Bengal during the Second World War.
Year 1944
World War II, a bombing of Bucharest, Romania, by British and American forces killed 3,000 civilians.
Year 1947
San Francisco's Henry Grady was chosen as the first U.S. ambassador to India.
Year 1949
Eleven countries in Western Europe together with the United States, established NATO.
Year 1951
West Germany establishes full diplomatic relations with India.
Year 1968
James Earl Ray assassinated Martin Luther King Jr.
Year 1968
Apollo Program – NASA launched Apollo 6.
Year 1971
Pakistan reports the seizure of nine Indian army vehicles.
Year 1975
Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Year 1984
Squadron Leader Rakesh Sharma was the first Indian Astronaut to go in space from Baikanaur aboard Soviet Space Craft 'Soyuz 11' and revolved around the earth.
Year 1990
Hindi film 'Bagh Bahadur' received the best feature film award of 1989.
Year 1990
Lata Mangeshkar wins 1989 Dada Saheb Phalke award.
Year 1990
MI-4 was re-equipped with the mighty Mi-35, thus becoming a dedicated Attack Helicopter unit of the IAF.
Year 1990
Lata Mangeshkar honored with Dadasaheb Phalke Award.
Year 1991
Gujarat CM Chimanbhai Patel JD (Gujarat)-to contest the elections with poll understanding with Congress (I).
Year 1994
Ravi Naik, Goa CM, resigns.
Year 1996
Supreme Court rules that political parties without audited accounts cannot take advantage of an election law that exempts tax expenditure on candidates.
Year 1997
World Bank Atlas for 1997 put India as the world's fifth-largest economy in terms of purchasing power parity estimated at around $1318 trillion.
Year 1999
India routed China 5-0 in the Davis Cup Asia Oceania Group I second-round play-off in Calcutta.
Year 2000
A. B. Vajpayee, Prime Minister, inaugurates Samvidhan.com, a website about the Constitution. The site is a part of the Hindi portal, Webdunia.com.
Year 2013
In Thane, Maharashtra, 74 people were killed when an illegally constructed building collapsed.
Born 1823
Carl Wilhelm Siemens, a German-British electrical engineer, and businessman.
Born 1889
Pandit Makhanlal Chaturvedi, an Indian poet, writer, essayist, playwright, and journalist.
Born 1902
Narayanrao Vyas, a Hindustani musician of Gwalior Gharana.
Born 1928
Maya Angelou, an American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist.
Born 1949
Parveen Babi, an Indian film actress.
Born 1965
Robert Downey Jr., an American actor, and producer.
Born 1970
Parvathy Jayaram, a former Indian film actress, costume designer, and classical dancer
Born 1984
Kundan Lal Saigal, golden-voiced singer, a legend in his lifetime, actor and film-maker, was born in Jammu. Some of his famous songs are "Ek Bangla Bane Nayara", "Diya Jalao",
Born 1912
Dhundiraj Gopal Sapre, Sahityaratna and Sanskrit litterateur, was born.
Born 1932
Rameshchandra Gangaram Nadkarni alias "Bapu Nadkarni", cricketer (economical Indian slow left-arm 1956-68), was born in Nasik, Maharash
Born 1889
Makhanlal Chaturvedi, Indian journalist, poet, and playwright (d. 1968)
Born 1962
Kailasho Devi, Indian social worker and politician
Died 1617
John Napier, Scottish mathematician, and father of the logarithm table.
Died 1911
Sachchidananda Hirananda Vatsyayan, Agyeya, an Indian writer, poet, novelist, literary critic, journalist, translator, and revolutionary in the Hindi language.
Died 1929
Carl Benz, founder of the Mercedes-Benz Company.
Died 1931
Andre Michelin, a French industrialist.
Died 1968
Martin Luther King Jr., an American Christian minister, and activist.
Died 1979
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the 9th Prime Minister of Pakistan.
Died 1987
Agney, famous Hindi litterateur and Gyanpeeth Award-winning poet passed away
Died 1998
G. Sarala Devi, 62, CPI leader and general secretary of the National Federation of Indian Women, passed away in Hyderabad.
Died 1987
Sachchidananda Vatsyayan, Indian journalist and author (b. 1911)