April 01

This is 1st of April. It is day 91 of the year. As of today, there are 274 days left until the end of the year. If you are curious about the most important and notable historical footprint of Sri Lanka, let us delve into more On This Day events to uncover fascinating tidbits from the nation's history that covers for 365 days.

Today’s Highlight

• 1765 – Lubbert Jan Baron van Eck completed his tenure as governor of Dutch Ceylon.
• 1857 – The first British Ceylon stamps, featuring Queen Victoria’s portrait and a 6 pence value in brown, were issued.
• 1875 – A standard telegraph rate of one rupee for twenty words was set across Ceylon.
• 1881 – The Sri Lanka Light Infantry (SLLI), the oldest regiment in the Sri Lankan Army, was formed as the Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers (CLIV).
• 1925 – William Henry Manning ended his role as Governor of British Ceylon, and Cecil Clementi took over as Acting Governor.
• 2002 – Kaudulla National Park, covering 6,900 hectares near Polonnaruwa, was established.
• 2022 – President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a nationwide public emergency due to widespread protests against the government.

International observance

• April Fools’ Day
• Edible Book Day
• Fossil Fools Day