U.S. Central Intelligence Agency — Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons Thomas Sankara, revolutionary President of Burkina Faso, was killed in a coup led by his former ally Blaise Compaoré.
DeathOn this day — October 15 in African history
Real events, births and milestones from Africa and the diaspora.
U.S. Central Intelligence Agency — Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 
CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons Fela Kuti, Nigerian musician and political activist who pioneered Afrobeat, was born in Abeokuta.
Culture
Photo by Carol M. Highsmith, Library of Congress — Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1993 Nelson Mandela and F.W. de Klerk were announced as joint winners of the Nobel Peace Prize for their work ending apartheid.
PoliticsSomali President Abdirashid Ali Shermarke was assassinated by one of his own bodyguards, a killing that led to a military coup six days later.
DeathWillie O'Ree, who became the first Black player in the National Hockey League, was born in New Brunswick, Canada.
Sports