1916 sirimavo bandaranaike prime minister of sri lanka worlds 04 17
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1960 66 years ago Historical Events July 21 3 sources

Sirimavo Bandaranaike is sworn in as prime minister of Ceylon, becoming the world's first democratically elected female head of government.

On July 21, in the year 1960, Sirimavo Bandaranaike is sworn in as prime minister of Ceylon, becoming the world's first democratically elected female head of government. This event is recorded as a Historical Events event in the history of July 21, one of 430 recorded events on this date across all of history.

Sirima Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike, commonly known as Sirimavo Bandaranaike, was a Sri Lankan stateswoman, politician and public official who thrice served as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 1960 to 1965, from 1970 to 1977, and from 1994 to 2000. A chairperson of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) from 1960 to 1994, she was the first woman in the world to be elected prime minister in 1960. She was the wife of S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike, and the mother of Chandrika Kumaratunga,, Anura Bandaranaike, and Sunethra Bandaranaike. Her cumulative tenure of 17 years and 211 days, makes her the longest-serving prime minister in Sri Lankan history.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on July 21, 1960 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Historical Events event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 3 Wikipedia articles.
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 18 July 2026.

On This Date in History 430

Type Year Date Event
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Notable Deaths 2025 Jul 21 Pau Alsina, Spanish motorcycle rider (born 2008)
Historical Events 2024 Jul 21 U.S. President Joe Biden announces he will no longer seek a second term and withdraws from the 2024 election,…
Historical Events 2023 Jul 21 The Barbenheimer phenomenon begins as two major motion pictures, Greta Gerwig's fantasy comedy Barbie and Christopher…
Notable Deaths 2023 Jul 21 Tony Bennett, American singer (born 1926)
Notable Deaths 2020 Jul 21 Annie Ross, Scottish-American singer and actress (born 1930)
Notable Deaths 2020 Jul 21 Andrew Mlangeni, South African political activist (born 1925)
Historical Events 2019 Jul 21 Yuen Long attack or "721 incident" in Hong Kong. Triad members indiscriminately beat civilians returning from protests…
Selected Events 2019 Jul 21 People returning from anti-extradition bill protests were attacked (pictured) by suspected triad members in Yuen Long,…
Selected Events 2019 Jul 21 People returning from anti–extradition bill protests in Hong Kong were attacked (pictured) by suspected triad members…
Notable Deaths 2018 Jul 21 Alene Duerk, U.S. Navy first female admiral (born 1920)
Notable Deaths 2017 Jul 21 John Heard, American film and television actor (born 1946)
Notable Deaths 2016 Jul 21 Dennis Green, American football player and coach (born 1949)
Notable Deaths 2015 Jul 21 Robert Broberg, Swedish singer-songwriter (born 1940)
Notable Deaths 2015 Jul 21 E. L. Doctorow, American novelist, short story writer, and playwright (born 1931)
Notable Deaths 2015 Jul 21 Nicholas Gonzalez, American physician (born 1947)
Notable Deaths 2015 Jul 21 Czesław Marchaj, Polish-English sailor and academic (born 1918)
Notable Deaths 2015 Jul 21 Dick Nanninga, Dutch footballer (born 1949)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 21 Louise Abeita, Isleta Pueblo (Native American) writer, poet, and educator (born 1926)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 21 Dan Borislow, American businessman, invented the magicJack (born 1961)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 21 Lettice Curtis, English engineer and pilot (born 1915)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 21 Hans-Peter Kaul, German lawyer and judge (born 1943)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 21 Rilwanu Lukman, Nigerian engineer and politician (born 1938)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 21 Kevin Skinner, New Zealand rugby player and boxer (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2013 Jul 21 Andrea Antonelli, Italian motorcycle racer (born 1988)
Notable Deaths 2013 Jul 21 Lourembam Brojeshori Devi, Indian martial artist (born 1981)
Notable Deaths 2013 Jul 21 Det de Beus, Dutch field hockey player (born 1958)
Notable Deaths 2013 Jul 21 Luis Fernando Rizo-Salom, Colombian-French composer and educator (born 1971)
Notable Deaths 2013 Jul 21 Fred Taylor, American football player and coach (born 1920)
Selected Events 2013 Jul 21 Nour Ahmad Nikbakht, an Iranian diplomat in Yemen, was kidnapped by al-Qaeda militants and held hostage for the next…
Historical Events 2012 Jul 21 Erden Eruç completes the first solo human-powered circumnavigation of the world.
Notable Deaths 2012 Jul 21 Alexander Cockburn, Scottish-American journalist and author (born 1941)
Notable Deaths 2012 Jul 21 Marie Kruckel, American baseball player (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2012 Jul 21 Ali Podrimja, Albanian poet and author (born 1942)
Notable Deaths 2012 Jul 21 James D. Ramage, American admiral and pilot (born 1916)
Notable Deaths 2012 Jul 21 Angharad Rees, English-b. Welsh actress (born 1944)
Notable Deaths 2012 Jul 21 Don Wilson, English cricketer and coach (born 1937)
Historical Events 2011 Jul 21 NASA's Space Shuttle program ends with the landing of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-135 at NASA's Kennedy…
Historical Events 2010 Jul 21 U.S. President Barack Obama signs the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
Notable Deaths 2010 Jul 21 Luis Corvalán, Chilean educator and politician (born 1916)
Notable Deaths 2010 Jul 21 Ralph Houk, American baseball player, coach, and manager (born 1919)
Notable Deaths 2010 Jul 21 John E. Irving, Canadian businessman (born 1932)
Historical Events 2008 Jul 21 Ram Baran Yadav is declared the first President of Nepal.
Notable Deaths 2008 Jul 21 Donald Stokes, English businessman (born 1914)
Notable Deaths 2007 Jul 21 Dubravko Škiljan, Croatian linguist and academic (born 1949)
Selected Events 2007 Jul 21 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final book in the popular Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling, was released…
Notable Births 2006 Jul 21 Endrick, Brazilian footballer
Notable Deaths 2006 Jul 21 Mako Iwamatsu, Japanese-American actor and singer (born 1933)
Notable Deaths 2006 Jul 21 Ta Mok, Cambodian soldier and monk (born 1926)
Historical Events 2005 Jul 21 Four attempted bomb attacks by Islamist extremists disrupt part of London's public transport system.

This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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