Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1781 Captain Thomas Shirley opens his expedition against Dutch colonial outposts on the Gold Coast of Africa, in present-day Ghana.
Colonial HistoryOn this day — February 18 in African history
Real events, births and milestones from Africa and the diaspora.
Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1781 
Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1900 Imperial forces suffer their worst single-day loss of life on 'Bloody Sunday', the first day of the Battle of Paardeberg during the Second Boer War.
Battle
Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1957 Kenyan rebel leader Dedan Kimathi, a commander of the Mau Mau uprising, is executed by the British colonial government.
Death
Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1965 The Gambia becomes independent from the United Kingdom.
Independence
CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons 1977 Soldiers raid the Kalakuta Republic commune of Nigerian musician Fela Kuti, leading to fatal injuries for his mother, activist Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti.
DeathNana Amba Eyiaba I, Ghanaian queen mother and traditional-leadership advocate, is born.
Birth