History of Today 08 January – Important Events in Indian History
Updated on 08 Jan 2026

History of Today in India – 08 January
Explore the history of today 08 January in India, including important historical events, famous personalities, milestones, and key developments. This content is especially useful for UPSC, SSC, Banking, Railway, and State PSC competitive exam preparation.
Last updated on 08 January 2026 10:00 AM
Important Events in 1025 – Indian History on 08 January
- 1025: Sultan Mehmood completely destroyed the Temple of Somnath.
Important Events in 1872 – Indian History on 08 January
- 1872: Hemchandra Goswami, ancient Asamia literature expert, historian, editor and poet, was born.
Important Events in 1884 – Indian History on 08 January
- 1884: Keshav Chunder Sen, nationalist leader of Bengal, social worker and good orator of Brahma Samaj, passed away at his home in Lily Cottage, Calcutta. He was one of the first Indians to sow the seeds of secularism in our country. He strongly believed that education was the basic necessity to change the society.
Important Events in 1890 – Indian History on 08 January
- 1890: Ramchandra Varma, renowned editor, was born. He also has the credit in making the Hindi Dictionary.
Important Events in 1895 – Indian History on 08 January
- 1895: Ramchandra Sakharam Ruikar, freedom fighter, pioneer of the labour movement in India and President of All India Trade Union Congress, was born at Rui village, district Kolhapur, Maharashtra.
Important Events in 1906 – Indian History on 08 January
- 1906: Howrah Railway Station, Calcutta, was inaugurated.
Important Events in 1908 – Indian History on 08 January
- 1908: Gandhiji asks the Government for suspension of Registration Act, offers voluntary registration.
- 1908: Mary Nadia Wadia (Fearless Nadia), great actress, was born.
Important Events in 1925 – Indian History on 08 January
- 1925: The first All India Art & Craft Exhibition was inaugurated by Sir William Marries, Governor UP at Kaisar Baug, Lucknow.
- 1925: Mohan Rakesh, veteran Hindi playright, was born. His noted books are “Aadhe Adhure” and “Aashaad Ka Ek Din”.
Important Events in 1927 – Indian History on 08 January
- 1927: The first scheduled London-Delhi flight arrives after 63 hrs. Air Minister Sir Samuel Hoare is on board.
Important Events in 1941 – Indian History on 08 January
- 1941: Swami Pranabananda Maharaj, father of Bharat Sevashram Sangha, passed away.
Important Events in 1947 – Indian History on 08 January
Important Events in 1956 – Indian History on 08 January
- 1956: Tryambak Sitaram Karkhanis, founder of ‘Maharashtra Drama Group’ (Maharashtra Natak Mandali), died.
Important Events in 1964 – Indian History on 08 January
- 1964: Jack “Murph the Surf” Murphy, 27, and a companion were arrested in Miami as suspects in the theft of $410,000 rare gems from the American Museum of Natural History in October of last year. The world’s largest sapphire, the Star of India, and eight of the other 22 stolen gems were returned to New York in an attorney’s coat pocket, having been recovered in two water-logged suede pouches from a Miami bus terminal locker with the help of a third suspect. The three described themselves as “beach boys.” Murphy is a sometimes an aquatic clown, but mainly they were notorious jewel thieves. Murphy was also accused of pistol-whipping actress Eva Gabor and stealing jewels worth $50,000 from her a year ago.
Important Events in 1965 – Indian History on 08 January
- 1965: Star of India’, world’s largest sapphire, returned to American Museum of Natural History.
Important Events in 1968 – Indian History on 08 January
- 1968: The Official Languages Act, 1963 was amended. Accordingly, a provision was made in Section 3 (4) of the Act of the effect that employees of the Union Government proficient either in Hindi or in English may carry out their work effectively and that their interests may no be adversely affected merely because they are not proficient in both the languages. According to Section 3 (5), it is necessary for bringing to an end the use of English language for the Official purposes of the union that resolutions to this effect are passed by the legislatures of the states (i.e. states where Hindi is not the Official Language) and after considring these resolutions, a resolution is passed by both the houses of the Parliament to put an end to the use of English language.
Important Events in 1973 – Indian History on 08 January
- 1973: Nanasaheb Parulekar, father of ‘Sakal’ newspaper, died.
Important Events in 1981 – Indian History on 08 January
- 1981: India all out for 63 runs in one-day international vs Australia.
Important Events in 1984 – Indian History on 08 January
- 1984: Sushma Mukhopadhyay, first Indian women pilot, died at the of 74.
Important Events in 1987 – Indian History on 08 January
- 1987: P. G. Joshi, cricketer (12 Tests for India 1951-60, ct 18 stp 9), passed away.
Important Events in 1992 – Indian History on 08 January
- 1992: Luggage rate of railway passengers hiked by 30 per cent.
- 1992: D. P. Sahastrabuddhe ‘Anand’, editor of monthly magzine, passed away.
Important Events in 1993 – Indian History on 08 January
- 1993: Dr. P.C. Alexander appointed Governor of Maharashtra.
- 1993: FERA restrictions removed, resident Indians allowed to keep as much as $500.
Important Events in 1994 – Indian History on 08 January
- 1994: Kamkothi Parmacharya Shri Chandrashekhar Saraswati, 68th Shankaracharya of Kanchi maat and Indian Saint, passed away at the the of 99.
Important Events in 1995 – Indian History on 08 January
- 1995: ONGC’s oil rig blow out at Pasalapudi site in Andhra Pradesh.
- 1995: Madhu Limaye, veteran national leader, socialist thinker, freedom fighter, politician, writer, close associate of Ram Manohar Lohia and Jaya Prakash Narayan, passed away.
Important Events in 1996 – Indian History on 08 January
- 1996: Maharashtra government clears Enron Dhabol power project at a tariff of Rs. 1.86 per unit.
Important Events in 1999 – Indian History on 08 January
- 1999: Farah Khan made it a double, adding the National ladies snooker title in Delhi.
Important Events in 2000 – Indian History on 08 January
- 2000: Abhin Shyam Gupta and B.R. Meenakshi win the NSCI Grand Prix all India badminton tournament in Mumbai.
- 2000: The Government reconstitutes the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts and Trust and retains Mrs. Sonia Gandhi as a trustee along with Mr. P. V. Narasimha Rao, Prof. Yashpal and Dr. Abid Hussain.
Why is 08 January Important in Indian History?
Several significant political, cultural, educational, and sporting events took place on 08 January, making it an important topic for general knowledge and competitive examinations.
History of Today in India – 08 January - FAQ
What happened on 08 January in Indian history?
On 08 January, several important historical events, notable births, and major milestones occurred in Indian history.
Is History of Today important for competitive exams?
Yes, History of Today is frequently asked in UPSC, SSC, Banking, Railway, and State PSC exams as part of static GK and current awareness sections.