Important Days and Dates — National & International List with PYQs

Important Days and Dates — National & International List with PYQs

Important Days is the easiest scoring topic in Static GK. One question comes in almost every exam, and the answer is pure recall — no reasoning, no calculation. The list also barely changes from year to year. Learn it once properly and it keeps paying. This post gives you the full month-wise list, the reason behind each day, and 15 real questions from past papers.

Key Points (Quick Revision)

  • National Youth Day — 12 January, Swami Vivekananda's birthday
  • National Science Day — 28 February, discovery of the Raman Effect
  • World Environment Day — 5 June, the most asked international day
  • National Education Day — 11 November, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad's birthday
  • Days linked to a person's birthday are asked most often — learn those first

1. January to March

DateDayWhy observed
12 JanuaryNational Youth DayBirthday of Swami Vivekananda
15 JanuaryIndian Army DayKM Cariappa became first Indian Commander-in-Chief (1949)
23 JanuaryParakram DiwasBirthday of Subhas Chandra Bose
25 JanuaryNational Voters DayFoundation day of the Election Commission (1950)
26 JanuaryRepublic DayConstitution came into force (1950)
30 JanuaryMartyrs DayDeath anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi
28 FebruaryNational Science DayDiscovery of the Raman Effect by CV Raman
8 MarchInternational Women's DayWomen's rights and equality
22 MarchWorld Water DayImportance of freshwater
24 MarchWorld Tuberculosis DayRobert Koch announced the TB bacterium (1882)

2. April to June

DateDayWhy observed
7 AprilWorld Health DayFoundation day of the WHO (1948)
14 AprilAmbedkar JayantiBirthday of Dr BR Ambedkar
22 AprilEarth DayEnvironmental protection
1 MayInternational Labour DayRights of workers
8 MayWorld Red Cross DayBirthday of Henry Dunant, founder of the Red Cross
31 MayWorld No Tobacco DayAwareness against tobacco use
5 JuneWorld Environment DayEnvironmental awareness — most asked in exams
21 JuneInternational Yoga DayProposed by India, adopted by the UN in 2014

📌 Exam Focus

  • Asked most often: World Environment Day (5 June), National Science Day (28 February), International Yoga Day (21 June)
  • Common trap: National Youth Day (12 Jan) and International Youth Day (12 August) are different days
  • Pattern: questions usually ask the date, or the person whose birthday it marks
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3. July to September

DateDayWhy observed
1 JulyNational Doctors DayBirth and death anniversary of Dr BC Roy
11 JulyWorld Population DayPopulation issues awareness
26 JulyKargil Vijay DiwasVictory in the Kargil War (1999)
12 AugustInternational Youth DayYouth issues worldwide
15 AugustIndependence DayIndependence from British rule (1947)
29 AugustNational Sports DayBirthday of hockey player Major Dhyan Chand
5 SeptemberTeachers DayBirthday of Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
14 SeptemberHindi DiwasHindi adopted as official language (1949)
15 SeptemberEngineers DayBirthday of Sir M Visvesvaraya
27 SeptemberWorld Tourism DayImportance of tourism

4. October to December

DateDayWhy observed
2 OctoberGandhi Jayanti / International Day of Non-ViolenceBirthday of Mahatma Gandhi
8 OctoberIndian Air Force DayFounding of the Indian Air Force (1932)
16 OctoberWorld Food DayFoundation day of the FAO (1945)
31 OctoberNational Unity DayBirthday of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
11 NovemberNational Education DayBirthday of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
14 NovemberChildren's DayBirthday of Jawaharlal Nehru
26 NovemberConstitution DayConstitution adopted by the Constituent Assembly (1949)
1 DecemberWorld AIDS DayAIDS awareness
4 DecemberIndian Navy DayOperation Trident in the 1971 war
10 DecemberHuman Rights DayUniversal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)
22 DecemberNational Mathematics DayBirthday of Srinivasa Ramanujan
23 DecemberKisan DiwasBirthday of Chaudhary Charan Singh

5. How it is asked in exams — 15 PYQs

  1. National Science Day is observed on which date? — 28 February (SSC CGL 2023)
  2. World Environment Day is celebrated on? — 5 June (SSC CHSL 2023)
  3. National Sports Day marks the birthday of? — Major Dhyan Chand (SSC MTS 2023)
  4. Teachers Day is observed on the birthday of? — Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (RRB NTPC 2024)
  5. National Youth Day is celebrated on? — 12 January (SSC CGL 2022)
  6. Engineers Day marks the birthday of? — Sir M Visvesvaraya (SSC GD 2024)
  7. Constitution Day is observed on? — 26 November (SSC CHSL 2024)
  8. International Yoga Day is celebrated on? — 21 June (RRB Group D 2024)
  9. National Mathematics Day marks the birthday of? — Srinivasa Ramanujan (SSC CPO 2023)
  10. Indian Army Day is observed on? — 15 January (SSC MTS 2024)
  11. World Red Cross Day is celebrated on the birthday of? — Henry Dunant (SSC CGL 2024)
  12. National Education Day marks the birthday of? — Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (RRB NTPC 2025)
  13. Kargil Vijay Diwas is observed on? — 26 July (SSC GD 2023)
  14. National Unity Day marks the birthday of? — Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (SSC CHSL 2022)
  15. Hindi Diwas is celebrated on? — 14 September (SSC CGL 2023)

6. Quick Revision — birthdays to remember

⚡ Days named after a person

  • Swami Vivekananda — National Youth Day (12 Jan)
  • Dr BC Roy — National Doctors Day (1 July)
  • Major Dhyan Chand — National Sports Day (29 Aug)
  • Dr S Radhakrishnan — Teachers Day (5 Sept)
  • M Visvesvaraya — Engineers Day (15 Sept)
  • Sardar Patel — National Unity Day (31 Oct)
  • Maulana Azad — National Education Day (11 Nov)
  • Jawaharlal Nehru — Children's Day (14 Nov)
  • Ramanujan — National Mathematics Day (22 Dec)
  • Charan Singh — Kisan Diwas (23 Dec)

Frequently Asked Questions

Which important day is asked most in exams?

World Environment Day on 5 June appears most frequently across SSC and Railway papers. National Science Day on 28 February and International Yoga Day on 21 June are close behind. These three alone are worth memorising before anything else in this topic.

What is the difference between National Youth Day and International Youth Day?

National Youth Day is observed on 12 January in India, marking the birthday of Swami Vivekananda. International Youth Day is observed globally on 12 August. Both have 12 as the date, which is exactly why exams place them together as options.

Why is National Science Day observed on 28 February?

It marks the discovery of the Raman Effect by Sir CV Raman on 28 February 1928. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for this work in 1930, making him the first Asian to receive a Nobel Prize in a science category.

How many questions come from Important Days in exams?

Usually one question per paper in SSC and Railway exams, sometimes two. The questions are direct recall with no reasoning involved, which makes this one of the safest and fastest scoring areas in the entire Static GK section.

Do these dates change every year?

Fixed-date days such as Republic Day, Teachers Day and Constitution Day never change. A small number of international observances follow a week or a particular weekday rather than a fixed date, but exams almost always ask about the fixed-date ones, so the list stays reliable year after year.

For more Static GK lists in simple language, see our International Organisations and Headquarters post and the Static GK section. Preparing for a specific exam? Start with the SSC MTS guide or the 100 Hour GS Course.