1856
An earthquake in the Mediterranean off Djidjelli, Algeria creates a tsunami that floods Mediterranean islands and the coastal areas of France, Italy and North Africa.
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1856
1892
Exiled to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) for leading a revolt against British colonial rule in Egypt, Ahmed ‘Urbani establishes that country’s second school for Muslims, the Zahira College, eight years after he established Ceylon’s first Muslim school.
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1892
1900
The Company of the Upper Ubangi Sultinates begins producing rubber in what will become the Central African Republic. Under new management, production grows from 28,306 tons in 1901 to 426,239 tons in 1914. The growth in the company’s production is made possible through the forced labour of the Ubangi.
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1900
1903
The movies come to British Nigeria when a programme of short silent films is shown at Glover Memorial Hall in Lagos.
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1903
1908
The first edition of the newspaper the German-East African Rundschau is published by the colonial government in Dar es Salaam, German East Africa. The newspaper calls for respect for African peoples and their cultures. The message is unpopular with German settlers, and the newspaper fails to find readers. Settlers prefer Deutsch-Ostafrikanische Zeitung, a privately-owned newspaper that advocates genocide against the Maasai people.
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1908
1924
Publication of English mystery writer Agatha Christie’s The Man in the Brown Suit. The thriller tells its story in Cape Town, Bulawayo and other African locations, and is one of the first detective stories set in Africa.
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1924
1990
More than 500 people have been killed in the past days of “black on black” violence in South Africa. Elements in the security forces are accused of fomenting the violence when forged pamphlets are found claiming emaXhosa want to force Zulu workers out of their jobs. Fighting is particularly heavy in the Vosloorus Township east of Johannesburg.
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1990
2018
A "Proudly South African" marketing campaign launches an on-line shopping site selling only locally made products. South Africa had 18 million on-line shoppers spending US$2.6 billion in 2017.
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2018
2019
Siemens Gamesa announces energy production capacity of one gigawatt (GW) will soon be achieved from its eight Moroccan wind farms, as work begun in 2017 stays on schedule. Morocco wants 42% of its energy from renewable sources by the end of the year.
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2019
Births
1899
Cecil Kellaway
South African actor who appeared in dozens of Hollywood movies and television shows from the 1930s to the 1970s, in Cape Town, Cape Colony, South Africa. Named after his godfather, Cecil Rhodes, he was the first African-born actor to be nominated for an Academy Award, as Best Supporting Actor for the 1948 movie The Luck of the Irish.
1924
Alieu Ebrima Cham Joof
Gambian writer, journalist and independence activist, in Bathhurst, British Gambia. In addition to his advocacy for Gambian independence, his work as a trade unionist, and his role bringing the Pan-African Movement to Gambia, he took time to introduce the Boy Scout movement to the country as a way to expand boys’ skills.
1940
Yambo Ouologuem
Malian writer, in Bandiagara, French Sudan. His first novel, Bound to Violence, in 1968 received international critical acclaim and made him the first African writer to win France’s literary prize the Prix Renaudot.
