Quick glance of 1 April in the pages of History

April 1: Here are the major events that occurred on 1 April….

• 1 April, 1515: Portuguese fleet under Afonso de Albuquerque captures the Persian fortress of Ormuz, renaming it the Fort of Our Lady of the Conception
• 1 April, 1621: Guru Teg Bahadur was the ninth of ten gurus (Nanak) in Sikhism. He resisted the forceful conversions of Kashmiri Pandits and other non-Muslims happening under the Mughal Empire. His refusal to abide by the Mughal orders resulted in his capture and public beheading. His death is still remembered as the “Shaheedi Diwas”.
• 1 April, 1748: Ruins of Pompeii rediscovered by Spaniard Rocque Joaquin de Alcubierre.
• 1 April, 1878: On this day, the Indian Museum in Calcutta (Kolkata) was opened to the public with two galleries. Over the years, several other galleries were added.
• 1 April, 1882: The Post Office Savings Bank has been the main vehicle for these plans across the length and breadth of India since its establishment 123 years ago. Post Office Savings Banks were opened in 1882.
• 1 April, 1927: 1st automatic record changer introduced by His Master’s Voice.
• 1 April, 1935: The Reserve Bank of India was established in Calcutta (Kolkata). The Reserve Bank of India is India’s central bank, which controls the issue and supply of the Indian rupee. RBI is the regulator of entire Banking in India. RBI plays an important part in the Development Strategy of the Government of India. It’s headquarters is now in Mumbai.
• 1 April, 1936: Orissa and Bihar were recognized as new provinces under the British. These states were earlier part of Bengal but were bifurcated into separate states in 1936.
• 1 April, 1962: The Income Tax Act 1961 has been brought into force on this day. It applies to the whole of India and Sikkim (including Jammu and Kashmir). Since 1962 several amendments of far-reaching nature have been made in the Income Tax Act by the Union Budget every year.
• 1 April, 2004: Google introduces Gmail: the launch is met with skepticism on account of the launch date.
• 1 April, 2015: The expanded capacity of Rourkela Steel Plant inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi. The capacity was increased by 2.5 million tons to 4.5 million tons per year.