On this day: April 10 in African history

Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons

British and Indian troops under Robert Napier met the army of Tewodros II on the plain below Magdala. Rockets and breech-loading rifles against muzzle-loaders and spears produced 700 Ethiopian dead and 1,200 wounded against two British killed. Tewodros shot himself three days later as the British took the fortress, and they carried off the manuscripts and regalia that Ethiopia is still asking for.

Sources: National Army Museum ; BritishBattles.com

Corrected in September 2026 · see what changed

Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons

Omar Sharif, Egyptian actor regarded as his country's greatest film star and known internationally for 'Lawrence of Arabia' and 'Doctor Zhivago,' was born in Alexandria.

Sources: BBC News ; The Guardian

World Economic Forum, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Aliko Dangote, Nigerian businessman who built the Dangote Group into Africa's largest industrial conglomerate and became the continent's richest person, was born in Kano.

Sources: Forbes Africa ; Encyclopaedia Britannica

Sabata Mcatshulwa (Chris Hani Monument), CC0, Wikimedia Commons

Chris Hani, South African Communist Party leader and anti-apartheid revolutionary, was assassinated outside his home, a killing that nearly derailed South Africa's transition from apartheid.

Sources: South African History Archive (Truth and Reconciliation Commission victims list) ; University of Cape Town

Read the full article: Chris Hani: The Assassination That Nearly Broke South Africa's Transition

Rose Francine Rogombé, Gabonese lawyer and politician who served as acting President of Gabon in 2009 after the death of Omar Bongo, died in Paris.

Sources: Al Jazeera ; Gabon Review