Newly-discovered Comet C/1786 P1 (Herschel) becomes visible to the naked eye over the skies of the world, and will be noticed in Africa over the next few nights.

A sign of his international stature, Abd el-Krim, President of Morocco’s Republic of Rif, is placed on the cover of Time magazine. One of the inventors of modern guerilla warfare, who has humiliated Spanish and French invaders, he has become a North African statesman.

Egypt’s first high-rise apartment and second skyscraper, the Sabet Sabet (Thabet-Thabet) Building is completed in Cairo on the banks of the Nile River. The sleek, clean design by Naoum Shebib, the Father of Modern Egyptian Architecture, will be copied throughout Africa. Locally, the tower will be known as the Belmont Building because of a large advertisement for Belmont cigarettes that for years will be placed on the roof.

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Gabon achieves national independence, from France. The capital is Libreville. The national population is 500,922.

The publication of Roots, a historic saga of Africans enslaved in the U.S. is a multi-generational account that begins in a Gambian village. Although African-American author Alex Haley presents the book as a novel, it is sold as non-fiction, and draws criticism for its flawed research. Nevertheless, the book is a publishing phenomenon – for nearly a half-year it will be the best-selling book in the U.S. – and creates unprecedented interest in the history of the African diaspora.

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The Battle of Dire Dawa ends with the Ethiopian Army successfully defending the Ethiopian town against the Somali Armed forces. The battle is a decisive Ethiopian victory in the Ogaden War fought for control of Ethiopia's Ogaden Province.

The Southern African Development Community is launched. With headquarters in Gaborone, Botswana, SADC will develop economic, political and other organs to promote the welfare and ensure the security of its nine member states: Angola, Botswana, Zaire (Democratic Republic of Congo), Swaziland (Eswatini), Lesotho, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

A plague of desert locusts descends on Mauritania. Arriving from Chad, the swarm of insects that devour crops and vegetation are measured at 200 per square metre.

One of Africa’s most iconic works of modern architecture, the calabash-shaped Corinthia Hotel opens in Khartoum, Sudan. The five-star facility overlooks the spot where the Blue Nile and White Nile merge to form a single, Egypt-bound Nile River.

The globally-popular cartoon family The Simpsons are given a make-over to become the "Angolan Simpsons" by a Luanda advertising agency, to announce the start of the TV series in Angola.

Nigeria launches into orbit the first satellite designed and built by Africans. NigeriaSat-X will be used to map the country for agricultural purposes.

Senegalese fashion designer Sarah Diouf establishes the fashion house Tongoro, in Dakar. The affordable designer label will gain an international following, endorsed by American superstar Beyoncé and others.