On this day — March 17 in African history

Real events, births and milestones from Africa and the diaspora.

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2000

Hundreds of members of a Ugandan religious cult died in a fire and related killings in one of the deadliest cult tragedies in history.

History
1806

Norbert Rillieux, African-American inventor and chemical engineer who revolutionized sugar refining, was born.

Birth