Rob Bogaerts, Anefo, Nationaal Archief, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons 1944 Richard Leakey, the Kenyan paleontologist whose fossil discoveries reshaped understanding of human origins, was born.
Sources: Linda Hall Library ; Nature
Science
Ceiling of Debre Birhan Selassie church, Gondar, Ethiopia. Photo: Rod Waddington, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence · Source
On this day: December 19 in African history
Real events, births and milestones from Africa and the diaspora.
Rob Bogaerts, Anefo, Nationaal Archief, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons 1944 
Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 1944 Abbas II, the last Khedive of Egypt and Sudan before the country became a sultanate under British protection, died.
Sources: The Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt ; World History Edu
DeathLola Hendricks, an African-American civil rights activist who played a key organizing role in the Birmingham campaign, was born.
Sources: Civil Rights Digital Library (University of Georgia) ; New Pilgrim Baptist Church
BirthErick Wainaina, the Kenyan long-distance runner who won Olympic medals in the marathon, was born.
Sources: World Athletics ; Olympedia (OlyMADMen)
Birth