1729
Khanderao Dabhade, great warrior in Maratha kingdom, passed away.
1756
The Seven Years War, a global conflict known in America as the French and Indian War, officially begins when England declares war on France. However, fighting and skirmishes between England and France had been going on in North America for years.
1817
Maharshi Devendranath Tagore, Bengali social reformer and father of Rabindranath Tagore, was born.
1864
Mahavirprasad Dvivedi, famous Hindi litterateur, poet, writer and editor, was born at Daulatpur village in UP.
1873
The proposal to dissolve East India Company was passed in England.
1878
Sivnath Shastri and Ananda Mohan Bose, under the leadership of the younger group of Brahmo Sama, rebelled and started Sadharan Brahmo Samaj.
1937
On this day in 1937, Madeleine Albright, America’s first female secretary of state, is born Maria Jana Korbelova in Prague, Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic).
1941
On May 15, 1941, the jet-propelled Gloster-Whittle E 28/39 aircraft flies successfully over Cranwell, England, in the first test of an Allied aircraft using jet propulsion. The aircraft’s turbojet engine, which produced a powerful thrust of hot air, was devised by Frank Whittle, an English aviation engineer and pilot generally regarded as the father of the jet engine.
1942
On this day in 1942, gasoline rationing began in 17 Eastern states as an attempt to help the American war effort during World War II. By the end of the year, President Franklin D. Roosevelt had ensured that mandatory gasoline rationing was in effect in all 50 states.
1949
Matsya Union formally merged with Greater Rajasthan.
1958
Gift Tax Act was introduced.
1963
On May 15, 1963, Gordon Cooper is launched into space aboard Faith 7 on the longest American space mission to that date. Faith 7 was the capstone of Project Mercury, the NASA program that put the first American into space in 1961 and the first astronaut into orbit in 1962. Cooper completed 22 orbits of the earth and spent 34 hours in space. He was the first American astronaut to spend more than a day in space. On the afternoon of May 16, Faith 7 landed safely in the Pacific Ocean, four miles from the recovery ship Kearsarge.
1989
NAL’s 0.6 m transonic wind tunnel is commissioned. Total project cost is about Rs 20 million.
1992
BSE closed.
1993
K.M. Cariappa, field marshal and Major General, passed away at the age of 93.
1996
The 11th Lok Sabha constituted as Election Commission submits a list of 534 successful candidates to President.
1997
Yaseen Malik, All-Party Hurriyat Conference leader, was released from Tihar jail.
1998
Pandit Ravi Shankar, Sitar maestro, receives the 1998 Polar music award.
1999
The BJP and at least 13 of its allies rename themselves the National Democratic Alliance.
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