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Sri Lanka Independence Day
This date is important because it's the day Sri Lanka was granted Independence from the British Empire. At the time, Sri Lanka was called Ceylon. -
58 Riots
The 1958 riots in Sri Lanka, which was called Ceylon at the time, was wide ethnic riots that targeted the minority Tamils in the Dominion of Ceylon after it became an independent country from Britiain. The body count was 70 to 300 people. Imprtant because it was a stand against the Tamils and there was a lot of death. -
Bandaranaike Assassination
Solomon Bandaranaike, the fourth Prime Minister of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), was assassinated by a Buddhist monk. Improtant because he was the prime minister. -
Srimavo Bandaranaike
Simavo Bandaranaike took over for her husband Soloman. Important because she was the first female Prime Minister. She ran again for Prime Minister in 1970 and 1994, become Prime Minister both times. -
Ceylon to Sri Lanka
Ceylon changed their name to Sri Lanka. Important because Sri Lanka is the name now. -
Civil War Breaks Out
Tiger attack in north kills 13 soldiers, triggering anti-Tamil riots in capital, Colombo. Hundreds die, thousands flee. Start of what Tigers call "First Eelam War." Important because it's the beginning of a civil war. -
Racial Riots
There were racial riots throughout the Island. About 70,000 Tamils fled to India. -
LTTE attacks two mosques
LTTE attacks two Muslim mosques. 240 people were killed. -
President escapes assasination bid
President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga narrowly escapes with injuries an assassination attempt by a suicide bomber at an election rally in Colombo. Imprtant because she's the president. -
Tsunami hits Sri Lanka
A 500 mph Tsunami hit Sri Lanka. It had been caused by a 9.0 earthquake. It was one of the most powerful earthquakes in 40 years and killed over 6,000 people. The tusnami came soon after and destroyed everything in it's wake. Important because natural disasters happen and this was one of the worst.
