December 04

This is 4th of December. It is day 339 of the year. As of today, there are 27 days left until the end of the year. If you are curious about the 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

• 1879 – Governor Sir James Robert Longden unveiled the statue of Sir William Henry Gregory, the British Governor of Ceylon and founder of the Colombo Museum, in front of the museum.
• 1915 – Robert Chalmers completed his term as Governor of British Ceylon, and Reginald Edward Stubbs (Acting) took over.
• 1953 – Sri Lanka established diplomatic relations with Germany.
• 1957 – The Ceylon Government imposed a ban on the export of fresh coconuts.
• 1974 – Martinair Flight 138, a Douglas DC-8, crashed in the Saptha Kanya mountain range in Maskeliya while approaching Colombo International Airport, killing all 191 people on board, including 182 Hajj pilgrims.
• 1984 – The Vavuniya massacre resulted in about 100 deaths, while the Mannar massacre in Murunkan claimed between 107 and 150 lives.
• 2006 – The Sri Lanka Army launched coordinated attacks to capture territory in Vaharai and the Trincomalee District held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).