Sri Lanka on July 20

This is 20th of July. It is day 201 of the year. As of today, there are 164 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

• 1956 – The foundation stone for the new Y.M.B.A. in Fort was laid in Colombo.
• 1960 – Sirima Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike’s Sri Lanka Freedom Party won the Ceylonese parliamentary general election, leading to her election as Prime Minister, marking the first elected female prime minister in the world.
• 1965 – Sri Lanka established diplomatic relations with Laos.
• 1970 – Sri Lanka established diplomatic relations with Singapore.
• 1976 – Sri Lanka established diplomatic relations with Qatar.
• 1990 – The Siththandy massacre began in Siththandy, Batticaloa, resulting in the deaths of 137 people.
• 1996 – A Sri Lanka Air Force Mil Mi-8 military transport helicopter was shot down.
• 2010 – Sri Lanka established diplomatic relations with Mauritius.
• 2014 – Ada Derana 24, Sri Lanka’s first 24-hour private television news channel owned by Power House Ltd and broadcasting in Sinhala/English, was established.
• 2022 – Parliament elected Ranil Wickremesinghe as the 9th President via a secret ballot.