| 1639 | The British East India Company established Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu (erstwhile Madras). |
| 1818 | Warren Hasting, the first Governor General of India, died. |
| 1921 | Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi lit Holi of foreign clothes. |
| 2012 | Pranab Mukherjee was elected the 13th President of India. |
| 1918 | India's first proficient pilot Indralal Rai was killed in an air battle with Germany in London during the First World War. |
| 1996 | The state government changed the name of Madras to Chennai. |