Roman military leader Mark Antony, in Egypt and pursued by the Roman army of Octavius, stabs himself in Alexandria, believing that his wife Cleopatra has also committed suicide. She had not yet done so. Antony is brought to Cleopatra’s tomb, where she is hiding. He dies in her arms. She will commit suicide on 30 August. Antony and Cleopatra have three children, which Octavius permits to live.

The Gambia Adventures company takes over administration of Britain’s first permanent settlement in Africa, established eight years ago (1661) on James Island on the Gambia River. The company will make the settlement profitable through gold and ivory trading, but it will become particularly valuable as a centre for the West African slave trade. (The island will be renamed Kunta Kinteh Island in 2011.) In 1661, the king of the Barra people who inhabited the area agreed to the British settlement on condition that no Barra be enslaved.

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After existing as an independent state under Ali Bey al-Kabir, Egypt again reverts to Ottoman Empire control as the Turkish commander Cezayirli Gazi Hasan Pasha (pic) enters Cairo. A new Ottoman pasha is installed as governor.

Two months after the Pasha of Tripoli Yusuf Karamanli declares war on the U.S. for refusing to continue bribing him to keep Barbary Coast pirates from harassing U.S. ships, the American schooner Enterprise is captured by the Pasha’s cruiser the Tripoli.

Slavery is officially abolished in the British Empire. This makes trading in human beings illegal, but only makes a criminal act of what has long been a thriving legal business. That business will not suddenly disappear, and the Atlantic Slave Trade will take 30 more years to end.

Ramadan is observed for the first time at Cairo’s newly-completed Muhammad Ali Mosque. The huge mosque took 600 years to build, and can hold 10,000 worshipers.

The first demonstration of electric light in Southern Africa is made at the Cape of Good Hope, the oldest colonial building in South Africa, at a ball in honour of Britain’s visiting Prince Alfred. The Cape Monitor newspaper reports "the first electric light which has ever been publicly exhibited in this colony" lit up the Castle yard so brightly that "every corner for a few minutes was visible as in clear daylight".

The warriors of Bapedi leader Sekhukhune (pic) defeat the Transvaal army in a decisive battle. South Africa's Transvaal Republic declared war on the Bapedi nation to seize their lands. With their army destroyed, the Boers will hire a German mercenary, Conrad von Schlickmann, to attack the Bapedi. He will be killed in an ambush, and his unit will be defeated. The Boers will seek peace with the Bapedi in February 1877. The British will seize the opportunity to annex the weakened Boer state in April 1877.

The Sultan of Zanzibar signs an anti-slavery decree. However, after centuries with the island nation acting as the hub of the Arab Slave trade, this activity does not immediately halt. (pic: Zanzibar slave market)

The Caminho-de-Ferro de São Tomé begins operations as the island of São Tomé’s first railway. At 14 km (another 4 km will be added in 1924), it is one of Africa’s shortest railways in both length and its time of existence. The railway will close for lack of use in 1931.

The third and final International Convention of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League opens with New York before its founder, Marcus Garvey (pic: right) , is deported from the U.S. An honoured guest brought from France for the convention is Kojo Tovalou Houénou, the Dahomey (Benin) critic of French colonialism in Africa. Upon his return to France, Houénou (pic: left) will be declared a subversive by French authorities, and he will eventually be deported.

By act of parliament, the South Africa Broadcasting Corporation takes over the country’s radio network, the Africa Broadcasting Company, which broadcasts in the English language. However, Hugh Tracey, who established siZulu service Radio Bantu in 1935, is allowed to continue producing radio shows of African music.

The U.S. magazine Esquire publishes Ernest Hemingway’s fictionalised African memoirs The Snows of Kilimanjaro. Hemingway’s actual memoirs of his African visits, The Green Hills of Africa, was published ten months ago. Both works depict Africa as a wild, primitive, beautiful backdrop to the self-absorbed lives of privileged Westerners . African animals exist to be shot, and Africans are childish servants.

Preparing to battle Britain in World War II, fascist Italy’s Italian East African Armed Forces Command mobiles 371,000 troops, up from 290,000 on June 1. 70% of the soldiers are Eritrean and Somali recruits.

The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is founded. Also known as the Central African Foundation, it is comprised of the British Protectorates Nyasaland and Northern Rhodesia and the self-governing colony Southern Rhodesia. The federation will be dissolved in 1963 when Nyasaland becomes independent as Malawi and Northern Rhodesia achieves independence as Zambia. Southern Rhodesia will change its name to Rhodesia before achieving independence in 1980.

Two years after their arrest, the trial begins in Pretoria of Nelson Mandela and 90 other anti-apartheid activist. 57 black, 16 white, 16 Indian and two mixed-race “coloured” defendants face the death penalty on charges of attempting to overthrow the South African government between 1952 and 1956, and replace it with a communist system. All defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Benin achieves national independence, from France. The capital is Port-Novo. The national population is 2,432,000.

Air Afrique, a co-venture between Air France, UTA and eleven former French African colonies, begins operations with 12 aircraft leased from Air France.

The popular Tanzanian muziki wa dansi band DDC Mlimani Park Orchestra is formed in Dar es Salaam by former Juwata Jazz Band members Muhiddin Maalim, Abdallah Gama, Cosmas Chidumule, Joseph Mulenga Michael Enoch and Abel Balthazar. The group begins as the resident band of the Tanzania Transport & Taxi Services. The band will produces a string of hits in the 1980s.

Tanzania wins its first medals at an Olympics when Suleiman Nyambui (pic) earns silver in the Men’s 5,000 metres, and Filbert Bayi wins silver in the Men’s 3,000 metre steeplechase at the Summer Olympic Games.

Ethiopian runner Miruts Yifter wins the gold medal at the Summer Olympic Games in the 5,000 metres, his second gold medal after winning the 10,000 metres on 27 July.

Kenya’s President Daniel arap Moi, who has governed with near dictatorial powers, is challenged by three separate groups who wish to seize control of governments. Air Force officers backed by university students attempt a coup d’état, but are suppressed. Moi will seize the opportunity to vanquish political rivals.

Namibia wins its first Olympics medal when sprinter Frankie Fredericks earns two silver medals, in the Men’s 100 metres and the Men’s 200 metres, at the Summer Olympic Games.

Puntland State of Somalia is established as a Federal Member State in northeastern Somalia, with Garoowe as the capital.

A show trial begins in Namibia of 123 rebels involved in the August 1999 Caprivi Uprising (pic). Government withholds evidence, and all defendants are represented by only one lawyer, who soon withdraws from the trial.

The Armando Emilio Guebeza Bridge opens, named after the former president of Mozambique. The important transportation link spans the Zambezi River to connect the Mozambican provinces of Sofalia and Zambezia.

China opens its first overseas military base, and its first in Africa, in Djibouti. Giving China a military presence in Africa, the base is located near the existing bases of the U.S., France, Italy, Japan and three other countries, which all value Djibouti’s strategic location at the Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb, one of the world’s most important shipping routes on which global energy security and, indeed, the world economy depends.