On This Day: What happened on 24 November?

Here’s a look at what happened on this day, 24 November, throughout history. We remember the news, events, and people that influenced the course of history forever.

ON THIS DAY: 24 NOVEMBER

1983 | Carl Niehaus is charged with treason and convicted and imprisoned for 15 years for being an ANC underground member.

1986 | Barclays National Bank Limited of South Africa publicised that it was withdrawing from the South African market by selling 40 percent of its remaining shares. 

1989 | President F.W de Klerk announced that whites-only residential areas were now open to all races. 

1995 | Johannes Lebone Slo Ramokhoase becomes the first mayor of Pretoria.

2015 | At least seven people died and 12 injured when terrorists attacked a hotel in Al-Arish, Egypt.

2015 | At least 14 people died when a bus exploded carrying Tunisian Presidential Guard personnel in Tunis, Tunisia’s capital.

READ: On This Day: What happened on 23 November?

DEATHS

1982 | Kenyan economist and father of the former president of the US, Barack Obama snr (46)

1991 | Tanzanian-born English singer-songwriter, Freddie Mercury (45)

2018 | Nigerian-Canadian boxer, David Defiagbon (48)

BIRTHDAYS

1905 | Welfare worker and social activist, Hansi Pauline Pollak

1931 | 18th Chief Justice of South Africa, Arthur Chaskalson

1942 | Gabonese politician and diplomat, Jean Ping

1944 | 9th Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria, Ibrahim Gambari

1948 | South African artist, Vuminkosi Zulu

1951 | Egyptian-Welsh rugby player, Graham Price

1994 | Algerian football player, Nabil Bentaleb

SPORT

2004 | The English cricket team cancelled their 5-match One-Day International series against Zimbabwe when the government of Robert Mugabe denied granting visas to 13 British journalists.

2012 | The Springboks beat England 16-15 on their end of year tour.

ENTERTAINMENT

1966 | The first TV station started broadcasting in Kinshasa in Zaire.

2012 | Gangnam Style with more than 808 million views becomes the most viewed video on YouTube video (now eighth-most with 3.86 billion views)

AFRICA FACT

Due to a lot of bays and edges that extend out of the coastline, Africa has the shortest coastline even though it’s the second-largest continent in the world after Asia.