Cleopatra, in her first act as Queen of Egypt, mourns her recently deceased father Ptolemy XII by voyaging to Hermonthis to install a new sacred icon to the god Montu.

Ibn Sharif is crowned as Sultan of Morocco. Thanks to military successes, his reign will see the Moroccan nation's power reach its height. His 55-year rule, until 1727, is the longest of any Sultan of Morocco.

A telegraph cable from Bombay reaches Suez, Egypt, connecting Africa with Asia. From Egypt, existing telegraph cables proceed to Great Britain, and from there to the United States. With the Suez linkage, the final portion of the system, now in place, the Viceroy of India sends a telegraphic message to U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant in Washington. Relayed from station to station, the message takes 40 minutes to travel 2/3 the circumference of the Earth.

The Muslim Brotherhood is founded by Hassan al-Banna in Ismailia, Egypt. It will become one of the world’s most influential Islamic groups, seeking transnational Islamic hegemony and combining beneficial social welfare programs with radical Islamic politics.

The Arab League is formed in Cairo, Egypt. Of the six original members, Egypt is the only African state. Eventually Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Somalia, Sudan and Tunisia will join, with Eritrea given an observer status.

Senegal’s President Léopold Sédar Senghor survives an assassination attempt when his assailant’s gun fails to fire. The poet-politician has been president of Senegal for seven years, and he will remain in office until 1980.

Filming begins in Nefta in Tunisia’s desert on a Hollywood science fiction film Star Wars. The first scene requires 12 Tunisian children to play “Jawas” robot merchants. Filming is delayed by malfunctions of R2-D2 and other robots and the two hours required for actor Anthony Daniels to fit into his CP3O costume. The movie will become a phenomenal hit in 1977, and the remaining sets will become tourist attractions.

The Ethiopian Red Terror reaches its height as the military junta running the country and led by Mengistu Mariam sends armed squads to conduct house to house searches for alleged political enemies of the regime. Cameras found in homes are taken as “proof” of espionage, and typewriters are                 “proof” that the owner writes treasonous propaganda. Tens of thousands of people are imprisoned and executed without trial. The NGO Save the Children reports that 1,000 Ethiopian children ages 11-13 are murdered; their bodies left in the streets of Addis Ababa. In 1979, Amnesty International will report that up to 500,000 Ethiopians have been killed.

For the first time, Nigeria hosts the Africa Cup of Nations (the 12th edition), and for the first time, Nigeria wins the football championship, continuing the tradition of most host countries lifting the Cup. Top scorers are Nigeria’s Segun Odegbami and Morocco’s Khaled Labied, both with three goals.

A protest march in Mali against the rule of Moussa Traoré is violently repressed, leaving 150 dead. Four days from now, Traoré, who seized power in a 1968 coup d’état, will himself be removed in a coup d’état. He will be arrested by the head of his own Presidential Guard.

Popular U.S. magazine Parade lists Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe as “The World’s Worst Dictator.” (pic: Mugabe has moved up from his Number 4 ranking on Parade’s 2006 list)

Just as the Islamic militant group Ansar Dine moves in to occupy Mali’s northeast, Malian President Amadou Tourmani Touré is overthrown in a military coup d’état. Ansar Dine will take advantage of the chaos in government, and occupies a string of towns, including Timbuktu.

Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta’s social media accounts are suspended after government claims they were hacked. Kenyatta has the most social media followers of any African leader, with more than seven million followers on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.