China is astonished by the first giraffe ever seen in the country. Chinese Admiral Zheng acquired the giraffe from the Sultan of Bengal, who purchased it from the Ajuran Empire (Somalia).

Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) finishes a new High Court Building, in Bulawayo. The impressive structure is completed with copper dome, teak wood paneled courtrooms, arcade balconies, a law library and basement jail. The entire structure was built for only £8,000 (equal to £573,750 in 2022) – a remarkably low cost made possible by depressed prices during the global depression and virtually free African labour.

South African Air Force pilots of 1 Squadron 1 arrive in Cairo to take delivery of 18 Gloster Gladiator aircraft. They fly the planes south to Kenya to use for aerial combat in Britain’s East African Campaign of World War II.

During the invasion of Madagascar (Operation Ironclad), British and South African forces fighting the Vichy French army allied with Germany capture the main airfield, the Arrachart aerodrome, at Diego-Suarez. From the airfield, South African Air Force planes fly combat missions that secure the southern half of the island by September, along with the small island Nossi Be.

The North African Campaign of World War II concludes after three years with a British and U.S.-led coalition defeating the armies of fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. Combat in Algeria, Egypt, Libya and Tunisia saw 400,000 troops injured, lost or killed.

French right-wingers opposed to Algeria’s independence stage a revolt, and take over portions of French Algeria. They demand that retired General Charles de Gaulle be made head of a French government of national unity designed to keep Algeria a perpetual French colony.

The Katima Mulilo Bridge opens as a key infrastructure addition for Namibia, spanning the Zambezi River from Zambia and bearing the TransCaprivi Highway to Walvis Bay. The route enables road freight from inland countries to use Namibia’s port.

The U.S. Congress passes the Lord’s Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act to end the terror attacks of Joseph Kony’s LRA, and to restore areas devastated by his army. President Barack Obama will sign the bill into law.

The Swaziland Civil Aviation Authority bans witches from flying broomsticks above 150 metres. Witches’ brooms are considered to be among heavier-than-air airborne transportation devices that are a potential threat to commercial aviation. Witches that violate the air space restriction are subject to a US$35,000 fine.