Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1870 Hiram Rhodes Revels was sworn into the U.S. Senate, becoming the first African American to sit in the U.S. Congress.
Sources: National Park Service ; U.S. Senate Historical Office
Diaspora
Ceiling of Debre Birhan Selassie church, Gondar, Ethiopia. Photo: Rod Waddington, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence · Source
On this day: February 25 in African history
Real events, births and milestones from Africa and the diaspora.
Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1870 Protesters rallied in Nouakchott, Mauritania, in what became known as the February 25th Movement of the Arab Spring.
Sources: Reuters (via KyivPost) ; Carnegie Endowment for International Peace ; Amnesty International
Corrected in September 2026 · see what changed
Politics
Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1925 Shehu Shagari, who became president of Nigeria in 1979, was born.
Sources: The Guardian ; Council on Foreign Relations
Corrected in September 2026 · see what changed
Birth
CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons 1968 Oumou Sangaré, Malian singer known internationally for her Wassoulou-style music, was born.
Sources: Encyclopaedia Britannica ; Aga Khan Development Network
Birth
CC0, Wikimedia Commons 1997 Thon Maker, South Sudanese-Australian basketball player, was born.
Sources: NBA.com ; Basketball-Reference (Sports Reference) ; ABC News (Australia)
BirthFountains Valley in Pretoria, the first game sanctuary in Africa, was proclaimed by President Paul Kruger.
Sources: City of Tshwane ; Visit Tshwane
Corrected in September 2026 · see what changed
Science