Public Domain (Libya), Wikimedia Commons Muammar Gaddafi led a bloodless coup that overthrew King Idris I of Libya, abolishing the monarchy and establishing the Libyan Arab Republic.
PoliticsOn this day — September 1 in African history
Real events, births and milestones from Africa and the diaspora.
Public Domain (Libya), Wikimedia Commons .svg)
Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1961 The Eritrean War of Independence began when Eritrean Liberation Front fighters led by Hamid Idris Awate fired the first shots against Ethiopian forces at the Battle of Adal.
Independence
Public Domain / CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons 1975 Daniel "Chappie" James Jr. was promoted to four-star general, becoming the first African American to reach that rank in the U.S. military.
History
Photo by Brian McMillen — CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons 2018 Jazz pianist and composer Randy Weston, celebrated for infusing his music with African rhythms and often called "America's African Musical Ambassador," died in Brooklyn at age 92.
Death
Photo by Alex Bassano (1882) — Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1873 Cetshwayo kaMpande ascended to the throne as king of the Zulu Kingdom following the death of his father, Mpande, going on to lead the Zulu against the British in 1879.
History
Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1981 Central African Republic President David Dacko was ousted in a bloodless military coup led by General André Kolingba.
Politics
Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1943 Charles Atangana, the paramount chief of the Ewondo and Bane peoples who served as a key intermediary between colonial authorities and Cameroonian communities under both German and French rule, died in Yaoundé.
Death