Slavery is formally abolished in Mauritius under British colonial rule, freeing tens of thousands of enslaved people on the island.
AbolitionOn this day — February 1 in African history
Real events, births and milestones from Africa and the diaspora.
Fountains Valley in Pretoria, the oldest nature reserve in Africa, is proclaimed by President Paul Kruger.
Science
Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1906 Adetokunbo Ademola, Nigerian jurist who became the 2nd Chief Justice of Nigeria, is born.
Birth
Roman Deckert — CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons 1932 Hassan al-Turabi, influential Sudanese Islamist politician and scholar, is born.
Birth
CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons 1972 Leymah Gbowee, Liberian peace activist who later won the Nobel Peace Prize for leading a women's movement to end the Second Liberian Civil War, is born.
Birth
Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1998 Rear Admiral Lillian E. Fishburne becomes the first African American woman promoted to rear admiral in the U.S. Navy.
AchievementSeventy-four people are killed in clashes between fans of Egyptian football clubs Al Masry and Al Ahly in the Port Said Stadium riot.
Tragedy