Dr Vincent Porter became the first African-American to be a certified plastic surgeon

1910,The nationalist United South African party was formed by PW Botha and other south Africans who favoured British imperialism, even though they advocated for freedom for the Africakaner people. The SAP ruled the country until they were replaced by the National Party in 1924. The national party was formed by right wing Afrikaners.

1945, African American Playwright August Wilson was born on this day.

1955, During the height of the Suez crisis, Egyptian president, Gamal Abdel Nasser vows to nationalize a lot of companies and also made announcement of its intention of establishing trade links with communist China by selling cotton to them.

1958, after quelling a military campaign by pro independent armed group in Morocco with the help of France, Spain cedes the western Saharan territory of Tarfarya to Morocco under the leadership of King Mohammed V.

1960, The Republic of Togo is granted independence by France. Togo was made a German colony in 1854 at the treaty signed between Germany and King Mlapa. However it was divided between Britain and France, after German defeat in WWII. The British part of Togoland voted in a plebiscite to join newly independent Ghana whiles the French part fought for its independence from France.


After being a British colony since 1787, Sierra Leone became independent in 1961.

1968, Dr Vincent Porter became the first African-American to be a certified plastic surgeon.


1972, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, first president of Ghana and the first Black African to lead a free nation, died whiles in exile in Guinea Conakry at the age of 63. Nkrumah was earlier deposed in an alleged CIA backed coup by members of the military and police.

1984, 30 Libyan diplomats had their diplomatic immunity withdrawn and were expelled from Britain, after more than a week since the shooting to death of police woman Yvonne Fletcher in front of the Libyan embassy building in London.

1991, the wife of imprisoned freedom fighter Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, Mrs. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela tried unsuccessfully to win the seat for the president of the ANC women’s wing.

1993, In a UN backed referendum, Eritreans voted massively to gain independence from Ethiopia. Before WWII the country was an Italian colony, but was allowed to be annexed by Ethiopia, however decades of political unrests prompted the UN to organized the referendum, which gave power to the People’s Frond for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) to power.

1994, Elections are held all over South Africa, and for the first time all ethnicities were allowed to take part.