| Week
starting Saturday 27 August |
|
| Date |
Year |
Event |
|
| 27 |
1963 |
William Edward Burghardt du Bois, the American
sociologist and writer, dies in Accra, Ghana, where he had settled two
years earlier. Du Bois had recently become a citizen of Ghana and is to be
buried in his new homeland. |
| 27 |
1975 |
Haile Selassie, last Emperor of Ethiopia, dies. |
|
|
For more on 27 August |
|
| 28 |
1940 |
World War II: East Africa
Italian bases in Somaliland are bombed by the South African Airforce flying
out from Kenya. |
| 28 |
1956 |
Colonel Nasser (Abu Khalid Gamal `Abd an-Nasir),
Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council in Egypt, expels two British
envoys accused of spying. |
|
|
For more on 28 August |
|
| 29 |
1940 |
World War II: North Africa
The Suez Canal is targeted by an Italian air raid. |
| 29 |
1956 |
Britain and France begin initial planning for the
Tripartite Invasion, their response to Colonel Nasser's move to nationalise
the Suez Canal on 26 July 1956. (See Timeline:
Suez Crisis for more.) |
|
|
For more on 29 August |
|
| 30 |
30 BCE |
Following the suicide of Antony on the 12 August (who
had been defeated by Octavian outside the city of Alexandria) Cleopatra
VII, the last Pharaoh of Egypt, also commits suicide. The alternative was
to face humiliation and captivity under Octavian's rule. Popular myth has
it that Cleopatra died after being bitten by an asp, but there is no real
evidence either way, and her body has never been discovered. |
|
|
For more on 30 August |
|
| 31 |
1923 |
Ruanda-Urundi is made a Belgian protectorate. |
| 31 |
1955 |
A UN brokered cease-fire for the Gaza border dispute
with Israel is accepted by Egypt. |
|
|
For more on 31 August |
|
| September |
|
| 1 |
1969 |
Muhammad Idris I as-Sanusi, the king of Libya is ousted.
Colonel Muammar Muhammad Gaddafi, the chairman of the Revolutionary Command
Council is the new leader. |
| 1 |
1985 |
The South African government suspends payments on all
foreign debts. |
|
|
For more on 1
September |
|
| 2 |
1941 |
World War II: North Africa
General Sir Claude Auchenleck, who replaced General Sir Archibald Wavell as
Commander-in-Chief, Middle East, appoints General Sir Alan Cunningham to
command the Western Desert Force and to prepare a plan for the relief of
Torbruk and the re-taking of Cyrenaica The operation is to be called
'Crusader'. |
| 2 |
1942 |
World War II: North Africa
Rommel gives up on his quest to take the Suez Canal, having once again
failed to take the Alam Halfa Ridge. He withdraws towards El Alamein. |
|
|
For more on 2
September |
|
