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.
Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1962 Trinidad and Tobago became independent from the United Kingdom, with Eric Williams becoming the country's first prime minister.
Sources: The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk) ; National Archives of Trinidad and Tobago ; National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS)
IndependenceCharl Schwartzel, the South African golfer who won the 2011 Masters Tournament, was born in Johannesburg.
Sources: PGA Tour ; ESPN ; BBC Sport
BirthDodi Fayed, the Egyptian film producer, died alongside Diana, Princess of Wales, in a car crash in Paris.
Sources: The Independent ; ABC News
DeathJohn Wrathall, the second and last president of Rhodesia before its transition to Zimbabwe, died in office.
Sources: TIME ; The Times (London)
DeathA landslide triggered by heavy rains buried the village of Tarasin in Sudan's Darfur region. The Sudan Liberation Movement/Army, which controlled the area, said more than 1,000 people had been killed.
Sources: BBC News ; Al Jazeera
Corrected in September 2026 · see what changed
History