Colonists in North America declare themselves independent of Britain, and name their Atlantic Ocean coastal country the United States of America. One fifth (20%) of the population are enslaved Africans. Several signers of the Declaration of Independence have been made wealthy through the labour of the Africans they keep enslaved. Another signer, Philip Livingston (pic), who has profited more than any New York merchant from the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, uses his slavery-enabled wealth to establish King’s College (Columbia University) and endow Yale University’s first professorship.

In a decisive battle of the French invasion of the Ottoman Empire province of Algiers, French artillery opens fire on the Bordj Moulay Hassan fortress. An intense cannonade goes on for hours, as the fort returns fire. At 10 a.m., with half of the fort’s original 2,000 Moorish defenders killed, their canons destroyed, the survivors use their remaining gunpowder to blow up the fort before escaping.

The children’s fantasy Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is first published, featuring a Dodo bird with the facial characteristics of the author, Lewis G. Carroll. The Dodo was native to Mauritius, and inspired wonder from Europeans who encountered the tall, flightless bird. The last Dodo was exterminated by Europeans in 1681, rendering the species extinct.

The Battle of Ulundi is fought by British forces from South Africa’s Natal colony, determined to conquer the Zulu kingdom. The British invasion in January was repelled by Zulu King Cetshwayo, who has consistently sought peace in the face of British aggression. At today's decisive Ulundi engagement, his Zulu army is defeat by British canons and machine guns.

Colonial authorities in British Nigeria begin using African prisoners to grow cash crops, as a way to occupy prisoners who are medically unfit for hard labour. In Niger Province, prisoners plant two acres of cotton, which will be harvested on 13 December. However, as the production of cash crops increases, the work will become extremely strenuous, defeating the project’s original purpose. (pic: Nigerian constables of the colonial police)

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Entering from Eritrea, Italian forces invade Sudan during World War II. The Italians push back British forces, and advance to the railroad town Kassala.

A successful counter-terrorism hostage rescue is carried out by Israeli army commandos at Entebbe Airport in Uganda. They free 102 hostages from an Air France flight that has been hijacked by members of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation. Uganda President Idi Amin supports the hijackers. The commander of the 100-strong commando unit, Lt. Col Yonatan Netanyahu, older brother of future Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is killed, as are seven hijackers and 45 of the 100 Ugandan solders at the airport. Up to 30 Ugandan aircraft are destroyed in the fighting. Three hostages die, and a fourth, away at a Ugandan hospital for treatment, is later killed on orders from Amin. Because Kenya allowed Israeli aircraft to refuel in Nairobi, Amin retaliates by killing 245 Kenyans residing in Uganda

Accompanied by their white sheep mascot, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RFP) enters Kigali, ending the Tutsi genocide by defeating the forces of “government” – actually civilian and military groups who are carrying out the killing campaign. The RPF encountered little opposition in the rest of the country when its operations began in April

Egypt has Africa’s largest number of railway users by far. 41 million train passengers will be transported this year; four times the number of passengers for Africa’s second biggest rail transportation system, South Africa. Africa’s number three country in terms of passengers, Morocco, has one-tenth the number of Egypt’s passengers. The high density of Egypt's population - 90% living along the Nile River and many concentrated around Cairo, creates the necessary condition for rail use.

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Kenya announces that solar-powered balloons are to be used to beam high-speed internet to 45 million people in rural areas who are unconnected to the worldwide web. Government is having local telecom operators deploy the U.S.-made technology that will make possible distance learning, aid rural clinics with health data, and make on-line banking and social media possible for isolated places.

The African Academy of Languages joins the advocacy for KiSwahili to become the official Pan-African language. On the basis of the academy’s recommendation, the East African Community (EAC) announces a partnership with the African Union to promote Kiswahili as “a language of wider communication.”