January 1

* Ceylon was made a crown colony of the British Empire in 1802.

* Colombo Journal, Ceylon’s first newspaper, was published in 1832.

* Courts of requests were established in the country in 1845.

* The first telegraph line in Ceylon, between Colombo and Galle, was opened in 1858.

* The Prisons Department was established in 1869.

* Rupee and cent notes and coins were used for the first time in Ceylon in 1872.

* The National Museum in Colombo was formally opened in 1877.

* The Attorney General’s Department was established in 1884.

* Sarvodaya Movement (Sri Lanka) was launched in 1958.

* Sinhala was made the official language of Ceylon in 1963.

* Poya day was declared as a public holiday in 1966. This came into effect on January 6.

January 2

* The five-day week for public servants came into operation in 1974.

January 3

* The first issue of the Ceylon Daily News was published in 1918.

January 5

* Sri Lanka’s second Medical Faculty was opened at the University of Ceylon, Peradeniya in 1962.

* Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation was established in 1967.

January 7

* First American national election was held in 1789.

January 8

* The Young Men’s Buddhist Association was formed in 1898.

January 9

* Gansaba Village Courts were established in 1871.