On This Day
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Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declares a nationwide public emergency after violent protests amid the country'

Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declares a nationwide public emergency after violent protests amid the country's worst economic crisis since independence [1]

Lieutenant colonel Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa is a Sri Lankan former politician and retired military officer who served as the eighth President of Sri Lanka from 18 November 2019 until his resignation on 14 July 2022. Before his presidency, he served as Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development from 2005 to 2015 during the regime of his brother, president Mahinda Rajapaksa, playing a central role in the final phase of the Sri Lankan Civil War.

Born to a political family from the Southern Province, Rajapaksa was educated at Ananda College, Colombo and joined the Ceylon Army in April 1971. Following basic training at the Army Training Centre, Diyatalawa, he was commissioned as signals officer and later transferred to several infantry regiments.

Historical Significance

Lieutenant colonel Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa is a Sri Lankan former politician and retired military officer who served as the eighth President of Sri Lanka from 18 November 2019 until his resignation on 14 July 2022.

Events Before

  1. Cuba's "day zero" unifies its two currencies by withdrawing the Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC), alongside steep increases

    Cuba's "day zero" unifies its two currencies by withdrawing the Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC), alongside steep increases in prices and salaries, effectively devaluing the remaining Cuban Peso for the first time since 1959 [1]

  2. First Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines are given to the general public, with 82-year-old Brian Pinker in the UK the

    First Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines are given to the general public, with 82-year-old Brian Pinker in the UK the first to receive the jab [1]

  3. Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump storm the Capitol in Washington, D.C., during Congress’s certification of Joe

    Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump storm the Capitol in Washington, D.C., during Congress’s certification of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’s victory, resulting in five deaths and prompting the evacuation of lawmakers and Vice President Mike Pence

  4. Military coup in Myanmar; civilian leaders are detained, including Aung San Suu Kyi, and a one-year state of emergency i

    Military coup in Myanmar; civilian leaders are detained, including Aung San Suu Kyi, and a one-year state of emergency is declared (still in effect)

  5. Kim Kardashian West files for divorce from her third husband, Kanye West after almost seven years

    Khloé Alexandra Kardashian is an American media personality, socialite, and businesswoman.

Events After

  1. Avenger's actor Jeremy Renner is accidentally run over by a snowplow, breaking more than 30 bones in his body near Reno,

    Avenger's actor Jeremy Renner is accidentally run over by a snowplow, breaking more than 30 bones in his body near Reno, Nevada [1]

  2. Crystal Renay Smith (37) divorces American singer NE-YO (43) after 12 years of marriage

    Crystal Renay Smith (37) divorces American singer NE-YO (43) after 12 years of marriage

  3. At age 45, Tom Brady, regarded as the greatest NFL quarterback of all time, announces his re-retirement after a 23-year

    At age 45, Tom Brady, regarded as the greatest NFL quarterback of all time, announces his re-retirement after a 23-year career and a record 7 Super Bowl titles with the NE Patriots and TB Buccaneers

  4. Powerful earthquakes strike Turkey and Syria, first with a 7.8 magnitude at 4:15 am, 23 kilometers east of Nurdagi, and

    Powerful earthquakes strike Turkey and Syria, first with a 7.8 magnitude at 4:15 am, 23 kilometers east of Nurdagi, and second with a 7.5 magnitude at 1:24 pm, with many strong aftershocks causing buildings to collapse. The death toll is 53,537 in Turkey and 8,000 in Syria [1]

  5. Key figures in Artificial Intelligence including Elon Musk and Steve Wozniak sign an open letter warning the race to dev

    Key figures in Artificial Intelligence including Elon Musk and Steve Wozniak sign an open letter warning the race to develop AI systems is out of control and asking for a suspension of at least six months [1] [2]

More from the 2020s

Pro-Iranian protesters end siege of US Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq

Pro-Iranian protesters end siege of US Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq

Scotland's Peter Wright beats Dutch defending champion Michael Van Gerwen 7-3 with a 102.79 average, 34 x 140s, 11 maxim

Scotland's Peter Wright beats Dutch defending champion Michael Van Gerwen 7-3 with a 102.79 average, 34 x 140s, 11 maximums, and 53% on doubles to seal his first PDC World Darts Championship in London

Cuba's "day zero" unifies its two currencies by withdrawing the Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC), alongside steep increases

Cuba's "day zero" unifies its two currencies by withdrawing the Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC), alongside steep increases in prices and salaries, effectively devaluing the remaining Cuban Peso for the first time since 1959 [1]

Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan becomes the first player in NBA history to hit buzzer-beaters on consecutive days; h

Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan becomes the first player in NBA history to hit buzzer-beaters on consecutive days; he hits 3-pointers to beat the Washington Wizards 120-119 and the previous night the Indiana Pacers 108-106

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on April 1, 2022?
Lieutenant colonel Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa is a Sri Lankan former politician and retired military officer who served as the eighth President of Sri Lanka from 18 November 2019 until his resignation on 14 July 2022. Before his presidency, he served as Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development from 2005 to 2015 during the regime of his brother, president Mahinda Rajapaksa, playing a central role in the final phase of the Sri Lankan Civil War. Born to a political family from the Southern Province, Rajapaksa was educated at Ananda College, Colombo and joined the Ceylon Army in April 1971.
Why is Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declares a nationwide public emergen... significant?
Lieutenant colonel Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa is a Sri Lankan former politician and retired military officer who served as the eighth President of Sri Lanka from 18 November 2019 until his resignation on 14 July 2022.

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April 1 in HistoryYear 2022