Tiamoyo Karenga — CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons 1966 The first Kwanzaa was celebrated in Los Angeles, created by Maulana Karenga to honor African-American and Pan-African heritage.
CultureOn this day — December 26 in African history
Real events, births and milestones from Africa and the diaspora.
We are adding a source to every entry in this archive. 0 of 5 on this page carry one so far. The rest were written before per-entry citations were recorded, so if you intend to rely on one, check it independently until its source appears here. See our sourcing methodology.
Tiamoyo Karenga — CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons 1966 
Benny Gool — Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons Desmond Tutu, South African Anglican archbishop, Nobel Peace laureate and anti-apartheid icon, died at age 90.
Death
Government of Somaliland — Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons 2025 Israel recognized Somaliland as an independent state, becoming the first country in the world to do so.
Politics
Werner Fischdick — GFDL 1.2, Wikimedia Commons (aircraft of the same type involved) 1994 Armed Islamic Group hijackers seized Air France Flight 8969 in Algiers; a French assault team later stormed the plane in Marseille and killed the hijackers.
Politics
CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons 1974 Farid al-Atrash, the Syrian-Egyptian singer, composer and oud virtuoso considered one of the giants of 20th-century Arab music, died.
Culture