Auguste Couder — Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1805 Muhammad Ali became Wali (governor) of Egypt, founding a dynasty that would rule the country for the next century and a half.
PoliticsOn this day — May 17 in African history
Real events, births and milestones from Africa and the diaspora.
Auguste Couder — Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1805 
National Archives of Malawi — CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons 1994 Malawi held its first multi-party elections, ending three decades of one-party rule under Hastings Banda.
Politics
Etienne Scholasse, European Communities — CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons 1997 Rebel forces under Laurent-Desire Kabila marched into Kinshasa, and Zaire was renamed the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Politics
Stevan Kragujević — CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons 1967 President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt demanded the withdrawal of the UN Emergency Force from Egyptian territory, a step toward the Six-Day War.
HistoryDaniel Komen, Kenyan middle- and long-distance runner who once held world records over 3000m, was born.
Birth