Major events in Bangabandhu's life

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

17 March 1920 - Born in Tungipara, Gopalganj, to Sheikh Lutfur Rahman, a court clerk of Gopalganj civil court, and Sayera Khatun

1934 - Withdraws from school to undergo eye surgery, which would keep him away from studies for four years

1938 - Returns to school

1939 - Meets Sher-e-Bangla AK Fazlul Huq and Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy for the first time

1940 - Joins All India Muslim Students Federation

1942 - Passes his Matriculation from Gopalganj Missionary School.

1943 - Joins the Bengal Muslim League

1944 - Passes Intermediate of Arts from Islamia College (now Maulana Azad College), Kolkata

1946 - Becomes general secretary of the Islamia College Students Union

1947 - Passes BA from Islamia College

28 September 1947 - Becomes father of Sheikh Hasina, who will later become the prime minister, like her father

4 January 1948 - Co-founds East Pakistan Muslim Chhatra (Students) League

17 March 1948 - Expresses solidarity with the employees of Dhaka University

26 March 1949 - Expelled from Dhaka University for 'inciting the class IV employees' in their agitation against the university's indifference towards their legitimate demands

23 June 1949 - Appointed joint secretary of newly formed East Pakistan Awami Muslim League

14 February 1952 - Hunger strikes from jail during Bhasha Andolon (language movement). His fasting was effective 13 days. On 26 February, he was released from jail.

1953 - Becomes general secretary of East Pakistan Awami Muslim League

1954 - Elected to the East Bengal Legislative Assembly on a United Front coalition ticket, which follows seven months in jail

21 October 1955 - Re-elected general secretary of Awami League

1956 - Appointed minister of industries, commerce, labour, anti-corruption and village aid.

1957 - Resigns as a minister to work full-time for the party

11 October 1958 - Jailed again as a political prisoner, this time for 14 months

1964 - Arrested two weeks before the election that pitted Fatima Jinnah against Ayub Khan. Charged with sedition and jailed for a year for supporting Fatima

1 March 1966 - Elected president of Awami League

1966 - Arrested numerous times for advocating the six-point (Chhay Dafa)

1968 - Arrested and tried in 'Agartala Shorjontro Mamla' (Agartala Conspiracy Case)

22 February 1969 - Released from jail

23 February 1969 - Tofail Ahmed gives honorary title of "Bangabandhu" (Friend of Bengal)

7 December 1970 - Leads Awami League to landslide victory in general elections

7 March 1971 - Delivers the historic speech in Racecourse Maydan with over a million in the crowd

26 March 1971 - Picked up by the Pakistan military as the liberation war begins

8 January 1972 - Released from prison in Pakistan, about three weeks after Bangladesh achieves its victory

10 January 1972 - Returns to Bangladesh

12 January 1972 - Steps down as president and becomes prime minister

1973 - Leads Awami League to victory in Bangladesh's first ever general elections

February 1974 - Joins the Organisation of Islamic Conference (now Cooperation) summit in Islamabad

24 September 1974 - Addresses General Assembly of the United Nations in Bangla

25 January 1975 - The fourth amendment to the constitution was passed, replacing the parliamentary system with a presidential system, reducing the power of the national parliament and the Supreme Court, and codifying a one-party state into law.

Bangabandhu becomes president and replaces all political parties with Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League (BAKSAL)

15 August 1975 - Assassinated in his home in Dhanmondi, Dhaka, along with most of his family members

* Compiled by Quamrul Hassan from variuous sources