On this day — August 15 in African history

Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons

The Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville) gained independence from France, with Fulbert Youlou becoming its first president.

Zaccheus Mahabane, a clergyman who twice served as President-General of the African National Congress in the 1920s and 1930s, was born in Thaba Nchu, South Africa.

South Africa's Springboks played their first rugby test since being banned over apartheid, facing the All Blacks at Ellis Park in the so-called "Return Test."

The Ibadan area of present-day Nigeria became a British protectorate under a treaty signed by Fijabi, the Baale of Ibadan, and the acting Governor of Lagos.

Fr. Raphael Morgan was ordained in Constantinople as the first African-American Eastern Orthodox priest, becoming "Priest-Apostolic" to America and the West Indies.

President Fulbert Youlou was overthrown in the Republic of the Congo after a three-day popular uprising known as the Trois Glorieuses.