History Today: When Jawaharlal Nehru passed away after a heart attack

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27-05-2025

On May 27, 1964, Jawaharlal Nehru, the prime minister of India, passed away after suffering a heart attack at age 74. Nehru is widely known as the architect of modern India and one of the most important leaders of the Indian freedom movement. He had been at the helm for 17 years – guiding the country in the backdrop of monumental events including the US-Soviet Cold War and the 1962 War with China read more
Jawaharlal Nehru, also known as 'Pandit Nehru', was the architect of modern India.
One of the most monumental moments in India's history took place on May 27, 1964.
Jawaharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister of India, passed away after suffering a heart attack at age 74.
Nehru, also known as 'Pandit Nehru', was the architect of modern India.
In in the pantheons of India's greatest politicians, he remains a titan.
If you are a history geek who loves to learn about important events from the past, Firstpost Explainers' ongoing series, History Today will be your one-stop destination to explore key events.
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Nehru passes away
On the day he died, Jawaharlal Nehru was prime minister of India and a towering national figure.
It was the position he had held for 17 straight years – since the country's Independence in 1947.
Nehru was born into a Kashmiri Brahmin family in in Allahabad on November 14, 1889 .
His father, Motilal Nehru, was a well-known lawyer and leader of the Independence Movement. He also knew Mahatma Gandhi.
Nehru was first educated at home. He was then sent abroad – first to Harrow and then to Trinity College in Cambridge. He was not a top student.
'I have become a queer mixture of East and West, out of place everywhere, at home nowhere,' Nehru wrote of his time abroad.
On returning to India, Nehru got married to Kamala Kaul.
Their only child, Indira, would go on to serve as prime minister. But that came later.
Nehru over the next couple of decades became one of the most important leaders of the Indian political movement.
He also became close to Mahatma Gandhi – and was widely seen as the heir apparent to the movement. On August 15, 1947, Nehru became Independent India's first prime minister.
Lord Louis Mountbatten, viceroy of India, discusses Britain's partition plan with Jawaharlal Nehru and Muhammad Ali Jinnah. File image/AP
For the next 17 years, Nehru would guide India through monumental events – including the Cold War between US and the Soviet Union and the 1962 War with China – pursuing a path of non-alignment and policies known as 'Nehruvian socialism.'
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He died with his daughter Indira at his side.
Nehru's death was greeted by massive shock from by his fellow politicians.
The prime minister is no more. The light is out,' an emotional C Subramaniam, a Cabinet minister, told Parliament.
Incidentally, Nehru had used the very same phrase – the light is out – while announcing Gandhiji's death.
His demise plunged India – its writers, intellectuals, thinkers and the public at large – into a profound sorrow.
Nehru, to this day, remains one of the most important and influential politics India has ever seen.
Golden Gate bridge opens
Also, on May 27, 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge opened for the first time to the public.
The bridge, which had been under construction for five years, was a massive undertaking.
Over 200,000 people came to gape at the 4,200 square foot suspension bridge connecting San Francisco and Marin County.
Work on the bridge began on January 5, 1933 – during the Great Depression.
A decade had passed after bridge engineer Joseph Strauss had first proposed building a suspension bridge for around $27 million.
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Five years after work began, the Golden Gate Bridge was opened on May 27, 1937, becoming the longest bridge span in the world at the time. File image/Reuters
Strauss, who was later elected chief engineer of the project, would be ably assisted by consulting engineer Leon S. Moisseiff, architect Irving F Morrow, and others.
Moisseiff and Morrow's contributions cannot be understated.
After all, it was Moisseiff who convinced Strauss to build a simple suspension bridge.
Morrow and his wife Gertrude, meanwhile, developed the look of the bridge.
Morrow also aided in choosing the Golden Gate Bridge's famed colour – 'international orange.'
But the work came at a cost.
In all, 11 men died during the work on the bridge.
At the time of its opening, it was the world's longest bridge.
It would hold that record till 1964.
The Golden Gate Bridge stands to this day as an engineering marvel.
Every year, thousands of people from around the world still come to San Francisco to admire it.
This Day, That Year
1660: Denmark and Sweden signed the Treaty of Copenhagen, bringing an end to the major conflict between the two powers. The treaty, alongside the Treaty of Roskilde, determined the modern boundaries of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.
1679: England passed the Habeas Corpus law – putting a dent in the right of kings. The law, which translates to 'you shall have the body,' arguably remains the cornerstone of legal jurisprudence for democracies around the world.
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1897: Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' went on sale in London. The Irish writer is said to have based the character on Prince Vlad III of Wallachia – also known as Vlad The Impaler. From Buffy The Vampire Slayer to Blade and Twilight, the hold of vampires on Pop culture has never since waned.
1933: Disney releases its animated movie Three Little Pigs. The whimsical musical, which preceded Walt Disney's masterpiece Snow White by four years, was a major hit and influenced the direction of the entire animation industry for years to come.