Photo by Hans Peters / Anefo (1978), CC0 1.0, Wikimedia Commons 1910 Govan Mbeki, South African anti-apartheid leader, Rivonia trialist, and father of Thabo Mbeki, was born.
Sources: South African History Online ; African American Registry
Birth
Ceiling of Debre Birhan Selassie church, Gondar, Ethiopia. Photo: Rod Waddington, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence · Source
On this day: July 9 in African history
Real events, births and milestones from Africa and the diaspora.
Photo by Hans Peters / Anefo (1978), CC0 1.0, Wikimedia Commons 1910 
Nationaal Archief / Spaarnestad Photo (1981), CC BY-SA 3.0 NL, Wikimedia Commons 1929 Hassan II, who would rule Morocco as king for nearly four decades, was born in Rabat.
Sources: Encyclopedia.com ; Unofficial Royalty
Birth
African Union, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 2002 The African Union was formally launched at a summit in Durban, South Africa, replacing the Organisation of African Unity.
Sources: South African Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) ; African Union Southern Africa Regional Office
Politics
Al Jazeera English (Flickr, 2011), CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons South Sudan declared independence from Sudan, becoming Africa's 54th country.
Sources: Al Jazeera ; U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian ; Office of Rep. Michael McCaul, U.S. House of Representatives
IndependenceFatimid general Jawhar led Friday prayers in Fustat in the name of Caliph al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah, symbolically completing the Fatimid conquest of Egypt.
Sources: Cambridge University Press ; State University of New York Press ; The Metropolitan Museum of Art
HistoryThe 14th Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified, guaranteeing African Americans full citizenship and due process of law.
Sources: National Archives (U.S.) ; National Constitution Center
PoliticsUpper Canada passed the Act Against Slavery, banning the importation of enslaved people and beginning the gradual abolition of slavery in the colony.
Sources: Canada's History ; Dictionary of Canadian Biography
HistoryAn EgyptAir Tupolev Tu-154 crashed during a training exercise at Cairo International Airport after stalling during a landing approach, killing all six crew; the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives dates the crash 9 July 1974, while the Aviation Safety Network lists 10 July 1974.
Sources: Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives ; Aviation Safety Network
Corrected twice in September 2026 · change 1 · change 2
Disaster