In short: Every important date and event you need for Class 10 History board exam 2027 — organized chapter-wise from the NCERT textbook "India and the Contemporary World-II." 50 dates, each with the event name and one-line significance. No long paragraphs. Bookmark this page and revise the timeline before every test.
How to Use This Timeline
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Read through all 50 dates once to see the full picture |
| 2 | Cover the "Event" column and try to recall the event for each date |
| 3 | Mark dates you cannot recall — those are your weak spots |
| 4 | Revise weak spots daily until all 50 are memorized |
| 5 | Before the exam, write all dates from memory in chronological order as a final check |
Chapter 1 — The Rise of Nationalism in Europe (Dates 1-14)
| # | Year | Event | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1789 | French Revolution begins | End of monarchy, rise of popular sovereignty and nationalism in Europe |
| 2 | 1797 | Napoleon invades Italy | Napoleonic armies spread ideas of nationalism across Italian states |
| 3 | 1804 | Napoleon introduces Civil Code (Napoleonic Code) | Abolished feudal privileges, equality before law, simplified administrative divisions |
| 4 | 1815 | Congress of Vienna | Restoration of conservative monarchies after Napoleon's defeat, redrawing of Europe's map |
| 5 | 1821 | Greek War of Independence begins | Greek nationalists revolt against Ottoman Empire; gained independence in 1832 |
| 6 | 1830 | July Revolution in France | Bourbon monarchy overthrown, constitutional monarchy under Louis Philippe established |
| 7 | 1831 | Uprising in Brussels | Belgium breaks away from the United Kingdom of Netherlands, becomes independent |
| 8 | 1848 | Revolutions across Europe (February Revolution in France) | Liberal middle class demands constitutionalism and national unification; French Republic declared |
| 9 | 1848 | Frankfurt Parliament convened (May) | German middle class attempt to unite German states into a nation-state; eventually failed |
| 10 | 1858-1871 | Unification of Italy | Led by Cavour (Sardinia-Piedmont), Garibaldi (South Italy), Victor Emmanuel II becomes king of united Italy in 1861, Papal States join 1870, Rome capital 1871 |
| 11 | 1866 | Austro-Prussian War | Prussia defeats Austria, gains control of northern German states |
| 12 | 1867 | Austria-Hungary Dual Monarchy formed | Compromise between Austria and Hungary creates dual state under Habsburg rule |
| 13 | 1871 | Unification of Germany | Prussian-led unification under Bismarck; Kaiser William I proclaimed German Emperor at Versailles |
| 14 | 1871 | Treaty of Frankfurt | France cedes Alsace-Lorraine to Germany after Franco-Prussian War |
Chapter 1 — Quick Memory Trick
| Period | Theme |
|---|---|
| 1789-1815 | French Revolution → Napoleon spreads nationalism → Congress of Vienna restores old order |
| 1815-1848 | Conservative reaction → secret societies → revolutions of 1848 |
| 1848-1871 | Nation-state building — Italy (Cavour, Garibaldi) and Germany (Bismarck, iron and blood) |
Chapter 2 — Nationalism in India (Dates 15-32)
| # | Year | Event | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 1885 | Indian National Congress founded | First organized political body for Indian self-governance, founded by A.O. Hume in Bombay |
| 16 | 1905 | Partition of Bengal by Lord Curzon | Divided Bengal on communal lines; triggered Swadeshi and Boycott movements |
| 17 | 1906 | Muslim League founded | Founded in Dhaka; separate political representation for Muslims |
| 18 | 1915 | Gandhi returns to India from South Africa | Began exploring Indian conditions; Champaran and Kheda movements follow |
| 19 | 1917 | Champaran Satyagraha (Bihar) | Gandhi's first civil disobedience in India; against indigo plantation system |
| 20 | 1919 | Rowlatt Act passed (March) | Allowed detention without trial; massive opposition across India |
| 21 | 1919 | Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (April 13) | General Dyer's troops fire on unarmed crowd in Amritsar; turning point against British rule |
| 22 | 1920 | Non-Cooperation Movement launched | Gandhi calls for boycott of British institutions, courts, schools, legislatures |
| 23 | 1920 | Khilafat Movement | Alliance between Congress and Muslim leaders over Ottoman Caliphate issue |
| 24 | 1922 | Chauri Chaura incident (February) | Mob violence by protestors; Gandhi calls off Non-Cooperation Movement |
| 25 | 1928 | Simon Commission arrives in India | All-British commission to review Indian constitutional reforms; met with protests ("Simon Go Back") |
| 26 | 1929 | Lahore Congress Session (December) | Congress under Nehru adopts "Purna Swaraj" (complete independence) as goal |
| 27 | 1930 | Dandi March / Salt March (March 12 - April 6) | Gandhi marches 240 miles to Dandi; breaks salt law; launches Civil Disobedience Movement |
| 28 | 1930 | First Round Table Conference (November) | British government conference in London; Congress boycotted |
| 29 | 1931 | Gandhi-Irwin Pact (March) | Gandhi agrees to attend Second Round Table Conference; Civil Disobedience suspended |
| 30 | 1931 | Second Round Table Conference | Gandhi attends as sole Congress representative; fails to secure agreement |
| 31 | 1942 | Quit India Movement (August 8) | Gandhi's "Do or Die" call; mass arrests of Congress leaders; widespread protests |
| 32 | 1947 | Indian Independence (August 15) | End of British colonial rule; India and Pakistan created as independent nations |
Chapter 2 — Quick Memory Trick
| Period | Theme |
|---|---|
| 1885-1919 | Early nationalism → moderate politics → Rowlatt Act → Jallianwala Bagh → anger builds |
| 1920-1922 | Non-Cooperation + Khilafat → mass participation → Chauri Chaura → movement withdrawn |
| 1928-1931 | Simon Commission → Purna Swaraj → Salt March → Civil Disobedience → Round Table talks |
| 1942-1947 | Quit India → imprisonment → negotiations → Independence and Partition |
Practice any chapter on Padhaao
AI tutor for CBSE, ICSE & 15 state boards · 10 learning modes · 3 free chapters daily
Chapter 3 — The Making of a Global World (Dates 33-39)
| # | Year | Event | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | 1600s-1700s | Columbian Exchange | Transfer of crops (potato, tomato), animals, and diseases between Old and New World after Columbus |
| 34 | 1840s | Irish Potato Famine | Failure of potato crop caused mass starvation and migration from Ireland |
| 35 | 1870s-1914 | First wave of globalisation | Massive trade growth, migration, investment flows; enabled by railways, steamships, telegraph |
| 36 | 1885 | Rinderpest epidemic in Africa | Cattle plague destroyed African livestock; Europeans used crisis to colonize by monopolizing remaining cattle |
| 37 | 1914-1918 | World War I | Global conflict reshapes economies; end of first globalisation era |
| 38 | 1929 | Great Depression begins | US stock market crash → global economic downturn → mass unemployment, falling prices |
| 39 | 1944 | Bretton Woods Conference | Created IMF and World Bank; established US dollar as global reserve currency; post-war economic framework |
Chapter 3 — Quick Memory Trick
| Period | Theme |
|---|---|
| Pre-1870 | Early trade connections, Columbian Exchange, indentured labour |
| 1870-1914 | First globalisation — trade, migration, railways, colonies |
| 1914-1945 | Wars + Great Depression destroy global connections |
| 1945 onwards | Bretton Woods rebuilds global economic system |
Chapter 4 — The Age of Industrialisation (Dates 40-45)
| # | Year | Event | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 1730s | Earliest factories in England | Cotton and metal industries; transition from hand production to machine manufacturing |
| 41 | 1764 | Spinning Jenny invented (James Hargreaves) | Sped up spinning process; one worker could operate multiple spindles |
| 42 | 1786 | Richard Arkwright's cotton mill model established | Steam-powered factory system set the template for industrial production |
| 43 | Early 1800s | Indian textile industry begins declining | British machine-made cloth floods Indian market; Indian weavers lose livelihood |
| 44 | 1854 | First cotton mill in Bombay | Beginning of modern factory industry in India |
| 45 | 1900s | Swadeshi movement boosts Indian industry | National movement encourages buying Indian goods; Indian mills gain domestic market |
Chapter 4 — Quick Memory Trick
| Period | Theme |
|---|---|
| 1730s-1800s | British industrialisation — machines replace hand labour |
| Early 1800s | Indian handicrafts decline — British imports flood market |
| Mid-1800s | Indian factory industry starts — Bombay cotton mills |
| Early 1900s | Swadeshi + nationalist politics → Indian industrialists rise |
Chapter 5 — Print Culture and the Modern World (Dates 46-50)
| # | Year | Event | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | 868 AD | Earliest known printed book (Diamond Sutra, China) | Woodblock printing technique; Chinese innovation centuries before Europe |
| 47 | 1295 | Marco Polo returns to Italy from China | Brings knowledge of Chinese printing technology to Europe |
| 48 | 1440s | Gutenberg develops the printing press (Germany) | Moveable metal type revolution; Bible was the first major book printed; made books affordable |
| 49 | 1780 | James Augustus Hickey publishes Bengal Gazette | First Indian newspaper; criticised East India Company and government officials |
| 50 | 1878 | Vernacular Press Act | British government restricts freedom of Indian-language press; modelled on Irish Press Laws |
Chapter 5 — Quick Memory Trick
| Period | Theme |
|---|---|
| 868-1440s | Print begins in China/Japan → reaches Europe through trade routes |
| 1440s-1700s | Gutenberg's press → printing revolution → religious reform → scientific ideas spread |
| 1780-1878 | Indian press emerges → social reform → government censorship (Vernacular Press Act) |
Master Timeline — All 50 Dates in Chronological Order
| Era | Key Dates | Theme |
|---|---|---|
| 868 AD | Diamond Sutra (China) | Earliest printed book |
| 1440s | Gutenberg's printing press | European print revolution |
| 1600s-1700s | Columbian Exchange | Global trade of crops and diseases |
| 1730s-1786 | Industrial Revolution begins (England) | Factories, machines, steam power |
| 1780 | Bengal Gazette (India) | First Indian newspaper |
| 1789-1815 | French Revolution → Napoleon → Congress of Vienna | Rise and restoration of nationalism |
| 1821-1848 | Greek independence, 1848 revolutions | Liberal nationalist movements across Europe |
| 1840s | Irish Potato Famine | Migration and food crisis |
| 1854 | First cotton mill in Bombay | Indian industrialisation begins |
| 1858-1871 | Italian and German unification | Nation-states formed in Europe |
| 1870-1914 | First globalisation wave | Trade, migration, colonialism |
| 1878 | Vernacular Press Act | Press censorship in India |
| 1885-1906 | INC founded, Bengal Partition, Muslim League | Indian political awakening |
| 1914-1918 | World War I | Global conflict, end of old order |
| 1919-1922 | Rowlatt Act, Jallianwala Bagh, Non-Cooperation | Indian mass nationalism begins |
| 1929-1939 | Great Depression | Global economic collapse |
| 1928-1931 | Simon Commission, Salt March, Round Table | Civil Disobedience era |
| 1942-1947 | Quit India, Independence | End of British colonial rule |
| 1944 | Bretton Woods | Post-war global economic order |
Chapter-Wise Date Count
| Chapter | Dates in This List | Board Exam Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Ch 1: Nationalism in Europe | 14 | High — 2-3 date-based questions typical |
| Ch 2: Nationalism in India | 18 | Very High — most dates asked from this chapter |
| Ch 3: Global World | 7 | Medium — 1-2 questions |
| Ch 4: Industrialisation | 6 | Medium — 1 question typical |
| Ch 5: Print Culture | 5 | Low-Medium — 1 question typical |
| Total | 50 | 6-8 date-based questions in board exam |
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. How many date-based questions come in the Class 10 History board exam? Typically 4-6 questions directly test dates — as MCQs, fill-in-the-blanks, or match-the-following. Another 2-3 questions indirectly require date knowledge (arranging events chronologically, understanding cause-effect sequences).
Q2. Which chapter has the most important dates? Chapter 2 (Nationalism in India) has the highest number of exam-relevant dates — from 1885 to 1947. This chapter alone can have 3-4 date-based questions in the board exam.
Q3. Do I need to know exact dates (day and month) or just years? For most events, knowing the year is sufficient. However, for key events like Jallianwala Bagh (April 13, 1919), Dandi March (March 12, 1930), Quit India (August 8, 1942), and Independence Day (August 15, 1947), knowing the exact date gives you an edge in MCQs.
Q4. Are these dates the same for CBSE and State Boards? These dates are from the NCERT textbook "India and the Contemporary World-II" which is the prescribed book for CBSE. Most State Boards that follow NCERT cover the same dates. For boards with different textbooks (Maharashtra, TN), some dates may differ — always cross-check with your board syllabus.
Q5. How should I memorize 50 dates without mixing them up? Group dates by chapter and by theme (as shown in the memory tricks above). Create a story for each chapter — for example, Nationalism in India flows as a story from 1885 (INC) through struggle to 1947 (Independence). Dates within a story are easier to recall than isolated numbers.
Q6. Will these dates help for competitive exams like NTSE or Olympiads? Yes. Social Science Olympiads and NTSE Stage 1 test the same NCERT content. These 50 dates cover the core historical events tested across all Class 10 level exams.
₹21/mo (annual plan)
Padhaao covers 17,000+ chapters across 17 boards
Your exact syllabus. 10 learning modes. 3 free daily. Pro for unlimited - ₹21/month (annual plan).
Want the full chapter with solved examples?
10 learning modes. Board-specific content. 3 free chapters every day.
Try it free