Timeline_of_Chennai_history

Timeline of Chennai

Timeline of Chennai

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This is a timeline of major events in the history of Chennai.

Prehistory

Before common era

1st millennium CE

11th century

12th century

13th century

  • 1241: Kundrathur Kandhalheeswarar Temple is built

16th century

17th century

  • 1612: Dutch arrive and capture the region and establish near Pulicat, just north of the city.
  • 1626: The British East India Company decide to build a factory on the east coast and select Armagon (Dugarazpatnam), a village some 35 miles north of Pulicat, as its site.
  • 1637: Francis Day, one of the officers of the East India Company, a member of the Masulipatam Council and the chief of the Armagon Factory, makes a voyage of exploration in 1637 down the coast as far as Pondicherry in order to choose a site for a new settlement.
  • 1639: The English secures a grant from the Damarla Venkatadri Nayaka, Nayaks of Kalahasti, for getting a three-mile-long strip of land and the city of Madras is founded (22 August).[17] Foundation is laid for Fort St. George.
  • The population of the Portuguese and Dutch settlers in the region reaches 10,000, although substantially outnumbered by the local population.
A plan of the Fort St. George and surrounding settlements

18th century

An 18th-century painting of Fort St George
Surrender of the City of Madras in 1746 to de La Bourdonnais, by Jacques François Joseph Swebach
  • 1758: French Commander Lawly sieges Madras.[citation needed]
  • 1759: French siege ends.[citation needed]
  • 1760: New Black Town is developed over the debris of the old Black Town.[30]
  • 1767: Hyder Ali invades the city for the first time.
  • 1768: Chepauk Palace is built by Nawab of Arcot.
  • 1769: Hyder Ali invades the city for the second time.
  • 1772: General Hospital at Fort St. George moves to its present location.[19]
  • Seven Wells Scheme, the city's first organised water supply, is started.[30]
  • 1777: Veerappillai is appointed as first Kotthawal, giving rise to the name 'Kotthawal Chavadi'.
  • 1783: Fort St. George is repaired and attains the present shape.
  • 1784: The first newspaper, Madras Courier, is founded.
  • 1785: First post office starts functioning.
  • 1786: William Petrie, a member of the Madras Government, builds a private astronomical observatory, the first observatory in the East.[31]
  • 1788: Thomas Parry (Chennai merchant) lands in Madras and begins the oldest surviving mercantile name in the city—Parry's.[30]
  • 1792: Systematic meteorological observations start, giving birth to the Madras Observatory and later the Regional Meteorological Centre.[31]
  • 1794: The Government Survey School, the oldest engineering school outside Europe and now part of the Anna University, commences at Fort St. George.[30]
  • American merchant William Abbott is appointed the first American consular agent of the Madras Presidency, marking the first consular presence in the city (24 November).[32]
  • 1795: Triplicane Wallajah Mosque is built.[30]
  • 1796: First lighthouse, functioning from the roof of the Officer's Mess (now housing the Fort Museum), is build.[33]
  • 1798: The area of the city was demarcated as the 69 km2 area surrounding the Fort and contained 16 hamlets within it.[21]

19th century

The government house at Fort St. George, 1804
  • 1806: The first segment of the Buckingham canal, a saltwater navigation canal, is constructed.[34]
  • 1817: Madras Literary Society is founded.
  • 1819: Madras Eye Infirmary, later the Egmore Eye Hospital, is established.[35]
  • 1826: Board of Public Instructions is founded.
  • 1831: First census in the city is taken (population: 39,785).
  • 1832: Madras Club is founded.
  • 1834: First survey school is inaugurated; later develops as an engineering college.
  • 1835: First medical college is founded (2 February); later becomes Madras Medical College.[36][37]
  • 1836: First goods train in the country was operated from Redhills to Chindadripet Bridge.[citation needed]
  • 1840: Captain S. O. E. Ludlow begins hourly recording of meteorological observations.[31]
  • 1842: Ice House is built, where ice brought from America through ships is stored; later gets renamed as Vivekananda House.[38]
  • General Hospital, originally meant only for the English, opens its doors to Indians.[19]
  • 1844: First standalone lighthouse (second in the city) is built (1 January).[33][39]
  • Imperial Hotel is opened, which later becomes the Taj Connemara, the oldest functioning hotel in the city.[43]
  • Further developments at the harbour begin.[21]
  • Madras Mail newspaper is founded.
  • Cosmopolitan Club is founded.
  • 1874: University Senate House is built.[47]: 341 
  • 1875: Madras observatory starts issuing daily weather reports.[31]

20th century

City of Madras in 1909
Map of Madras city in 1921
Map of Madras city in 1955
  • 1915: First commercial regular airmail service between Karachi and Madras by Tata Air Mail commences.[62]
  • 1923: The city is expanded to occupy an area of about 80 km2.[21]
  • 1924: School of Indian Medicine is founded.
  • Radio broadcasting begins (31 July).[63]
  • First bus transport begins.
  • 1942: Second World War results in evacuation of Madras.
  • 1943: Japanese fighter plane drops bombs on city and disappears.
  • Population of the city crosses the million mark.[21]
  • 1945: Regional Meteorological Centre is established from the old Madras observatory.[31]
  • 1946: Mambalam, Saidapet, Government Farm, Puliyur, Kodambakkam, Saligramam, Adayar and Alandur villages, which formed part of Saidapet Municipality, are annexed to the city. Sembiyam, Siruvallur, Peravallur, Small Sembarambakkam and Ayanavaram, which formed part of Sembium Panchayat Board, are annexed to the city. Aminjikarai, Periyakudal, Maduvankarai villages, which formed part of Aminjikarai Panchayat Board, are annexed to the city. Part of Velacheri village, belonging to Velacheri Panchayat Board, is annexed to the city.
  • 1947: Indian national flag is hoisted over Fort. St. George.
  • Madras city chosen capital of Madras state
  • 1969: First World Tamil Congress is held.
  • Madras State was renamed Tamil Nadu, meaning Tamil country.
  • Madras Metropolitan Development Authority is formed.
  • Madras Television Centre is founded.
  • Taj Coromandel hotel, the first luxury hotel in Chennai, is opened (14 April).[76]
  • 1988: Periyar Science Park is formed.
  • Birla Planetarium is built.
  • Madras Corporation's tercentenary is celebrated.
  • Decentralisation of administration occurs.
  • 10 circles are formed.

21st century

  • Belgium opens its consulate (28 November)

See also

Citations

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References

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