This Day in History: January 15

Sankranti festival

Telugu people are celebrating the Sankranti festival today. As part of the three-day festival, the second day is known as Sankranti. Villages that are bustling with crops celebrate the festival with more enthusiasm today.

Indian Army Day (15 January 1949)

Today is Indian Army Day. KM Cariappa was appointed as India’s first Army Chief on January 15, 1949, and that day is celebrated as Indian Army Day. January 15 is celebrated as Army Day every year on the occasion of the selection of the first Army Chief.

Also Read: This Day in History: January 14

Mayawati’s birthday (15 January 1956)

Today is the birthday of Mayawati, who created history by becoming the first Dalit woman Chief Minister in India. Mayawati, born on 15 January 1956 in the Jatav community, was elected as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, the largest state in the country, four times. As the successor of Kanshi Ram, Mayawati is excelling in politics. Mayawati, who is currently the president of the Bahujan Samaj Party, is hoping for the post of Prime Minister. But Mayawati is currently losing popularity due to political mistakes.

Launch of Wikipedia (15 January 2001)

We all search Google for details on a vast number of subjects. But the first thing that appears on Google for many such searches is Wikipedia. Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger launched Wikipedia on 15 January 2001.

Narendra Hirwani New Record (15 January 1988)

Indian leg-spinner Narendra Hirwani set a record by taking 16 wickets on debut on this day in 1988. He achieved this feat in a Test match against the West Indies. No one has broken this record yet.

Also Read: This Day in History: January 13

A few more important events on January 15th

• Birthday of Telugu writer and rationalist Chaganti Somayajulu (1915)
• Telugu language movement leader Gidugu Venkata Ramamurthy’s birthday is today (1940)
• Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Baba Saheb Bhosale’s birth anniversary is today (1921)
• Birthday of Telugu comedian Rahul Ramakrishna (1991)