Ceiling of Debre Birhan Selassie church, Gondar, Ethiopia. Photo: Rod Waddington, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence · Source
Real events, births and milestones from Africa and the diaspora.
Mysid, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons Nigeria's Eastern Region declared independence as the Republic of Biafra, sparking the Nigerian Civil War.
Sources: Encyclopaedia Britannica (via the Internet Archive) ; Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka (PhD dissertation by Alex Amaechi Ugwuja)
History
Plymouth County Sheriff's Office, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons Former Liberian president Charles Taylor was sentenced to 50 years in prison for aiding atrocities committed during the Sierra Leone Civil War.
Sources: PBS FRONTLINE ; Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone
History
CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons 1976 Margaret Okayo, the Kenyan marathon runner who won four major marathons, was born.
Sources: World Athletics ; Boston Athletic Association
Corrected in September 2026 · see what changed
BirthThe East Indiaman Arniston was wrecked in a storm off Waenhuiskrans near Cape Agulhas in present-day South Africa, killing 372 people.
Sources: South African History Online ; South African Tourism (southafrica.net)
History
Roland Godefroy, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons 2007 Jean-Claude Brialy, the Algerian-born French actor and director, died.
Sources: The Guardian ; Los Angeles Times
Death