11 Historical Events Your Children Must Know About

“To know exactly where you’re going, you need to understand where you have come from and for this, you need an appreciation of history.”

History is one of the most important academic pursuits of a child’s education. It helps children develop a better understanding of the world. History paints a vivid picture of how society, technology, and government worked way back.

History also helps a child to understand the current issues by giving similar examples from the past. It enables a child to understand why they live the way they are living today. 

This article takes a deep dive into 10 historical events around the world that your children must know about.

Historical Events Your Children Must Know About

Here’s a record of historical events your children must know about:

1.The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (1919): The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre was an unfortunate incident that took place 103 years ago during the Baisakhi festival in Amritsar, Punjab, where people had gathered for a peaceful protest. It is an integral part in the history of India’s struggle movement for independence.

379 people including children, women and men were gunned down while 1,200 were injured, in a firing ordered by Colonel Reginald Dyer.

A historic garden Jallianwala Bagh has been built close to the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar, in the memory of those who lost their lives and were wounded during the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre. The incident is considered as the most tragic event in Indian history.

2.Indian Independence Day (15th August 1947): This day marks the end of British rule in 1947. British rule in India began in 1757.

Following the British victory at the Battle of Plassey, the English East India Company began exercising control over India. On 15th August, India was declared independent from British colonialism.

3.Republic Day (26th January 1950): This day commemorates the enactment of the Constitution of India, replacing the Government of India Act 1935 as the governing document of India.

This event turned the nation into a newly formed republic.

4.Adoption of the Constitution of India: The supreme law of India, the Constitution of India lays down the framework of the country. It demarcates fundamental political code, procedures, and duties of government institutions. It also sets out fundamental rights, directive principles, and the duties of citizens.

Adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India on 26 November 1949, the Constitution of India became effective on 26 January 1950.

The Constitution of India declares India a sovereign, socialist, secular, and democratic republic and assures its citizens justice, equality and liberty.

5.The Start of the First Industrial Revolution (1760): The first Industrial Revolution began in the 18th century when new industrial innovations allowed societies to centralise, specialise, and grow, marking the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.

It began in Britain’s textile industry and spread to other fields and countries with the transcontinental railroad, cotton gin, factories, steam engine, electricity, and other scientific inventions that changed society forever.

6.First World War: The First World War commenced on 28 July 1914 and ended on 11 November 1918 and is one of the deadliest conflicts in History.

Advances in weaponry and military technology triggered tactical changes as each side tried to gain an advantage over the other.

Besides, the introduction of aircraft into war left soldiers vulnerable to attacks.

7.Second World War: Hitler’s invasion of Poland in September 1939 drove Great Britain and France to declare war on Germany and this marked the beginning of the second world war.

Other contributing factors also include the Second Italo-Ethiopian War, Spanish Civil War, Second Sino-Japanese War, Soviet-Japanese border conflicts and the rising European tensions since the first world war.

8.Spanish Flu: The 1918 influenza pandemic, also known by the misnomer Spanish flu, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic. Caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus, it was deadly because it ravaged the stronger immune system of young adults.

The outbreak was also known as the ‘great influenza epidemic’ and was the most severe pandemic in recent history. However, in December, 2020, the outbreak of COVID 19 broke all records of the Spanish Flu.

9.Invention of first vaccine (1796): Edward Jenner used the live cowpox virus to create the first vaccine for smallpox, one of History’s deadliest diseases that killed about 300 million people.

This event marked the start of the Medical Revolution.

10.The Invention of the Internet, 1960s: The first workable prototype of the Internet came in the late 1960s with the creation of ARPANET. ARPANET stands for Advanced Research Projects Agency Network.

Funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, ARPANET used packet switching that allowed multiple computers to communicate on a single network.

These were some of the historical events that children must know about. Today, children can discover interesting facts by exploring the various periods with some of the best History apps like Historical Calendar, World History For Kids, BBC History Magazine, History Quiz for Kids, and Timeline – World History.