On this day: August 19 in African history

Warring factions in Liberia's civil war signed the Abuja Accord in Nigeria, a peace agreement that brought rival faction leaders into a transitional Council of State.

Sources: United Nations Peacekeeping (UNOMIL) ; African Union (Peace and Security Department)

Maryland Historical Society, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons

Self-taught Black mathematician and astronomer Benjamin Banneker sent Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson a letter and almanac challenging him to act against slavery and racial prejudice.

Sources: National Archives (Founders Online) ; U.S. National Park Service ; Smithsonian Magazine

Anynobody, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Two US Navy F-14s engaged two Libyan Su-22s about sixty miles off the Libyan coast during American exercises over the Gulf of Sidra. Both Libyan aircraft were shot down and one of their pilots was killed. The United States said the Libyans had fired first. Libya said it had destroyed an F-14, which the United States denied.

Sources: University of Michigan Law School ; US Naval Institute Proceedings

Corrected in September 2026 · see what changed

Donald Woods, the South African journalist and anti-apartheid activist who exposed the killing of his friend Steve Biko and fled into exile, died.

Sources: BBC News ; Los Angeles Times

Levy Mwanawasa, the third president of Zambia, whose anti-corruption drive targeted his predecessor, died in office.

Sources: BBC News ; Republic of Zambia, Cabinet Office