Pompey (pic), the Roman general who is fighting the Roman Civil War with Julius Caesar, is lured to Pelousion, Egypt, where he is ambushed and killed by the forces of Egypt's Ptolemy XIII. Ptolemy seeks to please Caesar to enlist him as an ally in his own civil war with his sister and co-ruler Cleopatra. He sends Pompey’s head to Caesar. Displeased by the manner of Pompey’s death, Caesar orders Ptolemy and Cleopatra to reconcile.
The first newspaper in Nyasaland (Malawi) is published: the monthly Central African Planter. When the newspaper becomes a weekly in 1900, the name will be changed to Central African Times, and later to Nyasaland Times. Upon Malawi’s Independence in 1964, the bi-weekly newspaper will be called The Times, and finally The Daily Times in 1972 when it is printed every day.
Abyssinia (Ethiopia) joins the League of Nations (which in 1945 will be replaced by the United Nations). Abyssinia is the second African country to join after founding member South Africa. Because most African countries have been colonised by European powers at this moment in their histories, the League will have few African independent countries as members. The League will condemn Italy’s 1935 invasion of Ethiopia, but will be powerless to stop or reverse the aggression. (pic: market day in Addis Ababa)
South African Air Force Flight-Lieutenant Richard Read Bentley completes the first solo flight from London to Cape Town. His de Havilland biplane makes multiple stops along the route, but he cuts a full month off the trip, to 28 days from the two months and one day that was the record set last year.
Central African Republic independence leader Barthélemy Boganda forms the Movement for the Social Evolution of Black Africa (MESAN), a political and quasi-religious organisation that vows to fight for black humanity in the face of racism, and do battle against colonialism. The new movement is particularly popular in rural areas.
French President Charles de Gaul demands that all of France’s colonial possessions participate in a constitutional referendum where they vote either to 1) join the French Community as free states but become members of a federation that will control their foreign policy, defense, ethnic and financial policy and strategic raw materials, or 2) become independent but be cut off from France.
A coup d’état in Damascus is successfully carried out by Syrian military officials seeking an end to Syria’s merger with Egypt as the United Arab Republic, and who seek Syrian independence from the union. Egypt’s Gamal Nasser (pic: centre), President of the UAE, initially sends in Egyptian forces, but he will withdraw them after two days and accept the end of the three year-old merger between Egypt and Syria.
Cabo Verde’s one-party state is abolished in a wave of democratic reform. The first multi-party election will be contested in January, 1991.
French mercenary Bob Denard, having caused trouble in Africa for 20 years by participating in insurgencies in Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria and Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), decides he wants a country for himself. He chooses Comoros. After three previous attempted coups d’état, he succeeds today. He will be in power for five days before France, which has long been embarrassed by his adventurism, sends troops to arrest him (pic).
The South African singing group The Bala Brothers release their first collective album, B3. The eldest brother, Zwai Bala, was the first black student admitted to South Africa’s Drakensberg Boys’ Choir School, despite apartheid segregation of the races. His younger brothers Loyiso and Phelo also later integrated the school.
South African comedian Trevor Noah hosts for the first first time The Daily Show, the most influential political satire television programme in the U.S. The nightly show is broadcast globally via satellite TV and social media.
The ride hailing service Uber launches UberEats in Johannesburg, providing food delivery to customers who order using a mobile phone app. In five years, the service will expand to six other African countries.
Angolan poet and politician, in Luanda, Portuguese Angola. A civil servant in the colonial Portuguese government, he was arrested for his protest poetry in 1959, and exiled to Cabo Verde from 1961 to 1972. Because his first book was also published in 1961, his status as a political prisoner gained international attention. He escaped, worked for Angola’s independence party MPLA, and upon Independence in 1975 he became Angola’s first Minister of Education and Culture.
Nigerian Chief and business executive, in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, Nigeria. A Nigerian Minister of Commerce in public life, she was the first Nigerian woman to become the CEO of a multinational company (VYB Industries Ltd), and the first female Chairperson of a public listed company (Bewac Plc). She has held various traditional leadership positions including Otunba Ayora (Chief) of Ijebu-Ode, whose people, the Ijebus, are famously successful in business.
South African advocate and government prosecutor, in Johannesburg, South Africa. After helping to finalise South Africa’s first constitution as a democratic state in1996, and served as the country’s Public Protector from 2009 to 2016, where she investigated corruption of public figures, most notably President Jacob Zuma who appointed her.
