Indira Gandhi

1917 – 1984 · died at about 67^[1][2]

Politics & Leadership

Fun Facts About Indira Gandhi

• Indira Gandhi was born Indira Nehru. Her famous surname came from her husband, Feroze Gandhi, who was no relation to Mahatma Gandhi.^[1][3][4]
• Rabindranath Tagore gave Indira the name Priyadarshini, which means "looking at everything with kindness" in Sanskrit.^[1][5][6]
• Gandhi failed the entrance exam for Somerville College, Oxford, on her first attempt because of poor Latin, and she left Oxford without completing her studies.^[1]
• Jailed in 1942 for her role in the Quit India Movement, Gandhi recalled that on release it was such a shock to see colors again she thought she would go out of her mind.^[1]
• Early in her first term, critics dismissed Gandhi as the "Goongi goodiya", Hindi for "dumb doll", of the Congress party bosses.^[1]
• In 1999 Gandhi was named "Woman of the Millennium" in an online poll organized by the BBC.^[1]
• Indira Gandhi was alive at the same time as Beyoncé — their lives overlapped for 3 years (1981–1984).^[1][2][7][8]
• Indira Gandhi and Harry Houdini died on the same day of the year, October 31.^{[1][2][9][10]}

Indira Gandhi was an Indian stateswoman who served as the prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 until her assassination in 1984. She was India's first and only female prime minister, and a central figure in Indian politics as the leader of the Indian National Congress (INC). She was the daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India. She was the mother of Rajiv Gandhi, who succeeded her as prime minister. Her cumulative tenure of 15 years and 350 days makes her the second-longest-serving Indian prime minister after her father.^[1]

Contemporaries

Georgia O'Keeffe

67 yr overlap

Jorge Luis Borges

67 yr overlap

Hirohito

67 yr overlap

Bob Hope

67 yr overlap

Salvador Dalí

67 yr overlap

Simone de Beauvoir

67 yr overlap

Dorothy Hodgkin

67 yr overlap

Mother Teresa

67 yr overlap

Akira Kurosawa

67 yr overlap

Jacques Cousteau

67 yr overlap

Rosa Parks

67 yr overlap

Orson Welles

67 yr overlap

Their World

Questions About Indira Gandhi

When was Indira Gandhi born?

Indira Gandhi was born on November 19, 1917, and died on October 31, 1984.

How old was Indira Gandhi at death?

Indira Gandhi was born on November 19, 1917, and died on October 31, 1984, at age 66.

What was Indira Gandhi known for?

Indira Gandhi was known for: First female Prime Minister of India. Indira Gandhi was an Indian stateswoman who served as the prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 until her assassination in 1984. She was India's first and only female prime minister, and a central figure in Indian politics as the leader of the Indian National Congress (INC). She was the daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India. She was the mother of Rajiv Gandhi, who succeeded her as prime minister. Her cumulative tenure of 15 years and 350 days makes her the second-longest-serving Indian prime minister after her father.

Who was alive at the same time as Indira Gandhi?

Indira Gandhi's closest contemporary was Georgia O'Keeffe. Their lives overlapped for 67 years.