On This Day: What happened on 22 December?

Here’s a look at what happened on this day, 22 December, throughout history. We remember the news, events, and people that influenced the course of history forever.

ON THIS DAY: 22 DECEMBER

1953 | In Kenya, 24 Kikuyu tribesmen are sentenced to death for the Lari massacre which caused the deaths of 74 people and wounded 50.

1987 | ZANU and ZAPU, Zimbabwean political parties reach an agreement which ended the Gukurahundi (violence in the Matabeleland region).

1993 | South Africa signs diplomatic relations with Vietnam. The embassy of Vietnam was opened in South Africa in July 2000.

1997 | Hussein Farrah Aidid let go of the disputed title of the Somali president. He signed the Cairo Declaration, in Egypt which was a process towards reconciliation.

READ: On This Day: What happened on 20 December?

DEATHS

1973 | Trade unionist, Barend Erasmus (55)

1996 | South African sculptor, Hetta Empson (81)

2016 | Ethiopian long-distance runner, Miruts Yifter (72)

BIRTHDAYS

1963 | South African cricketer, Brian McMillan

1978 | Nigerian-Polish footballer, Emmanuel Olisadebe

1983 | Kenyan writer, Viola Kibiwot

SPORT

1951 | The Dusi Canoe Marathon was started by Ian Player, Denis Vorster, Miles Brokensha, Fred Schmidt, Ernie Pearce, Basil Halford, John Naudé, and Willie Potgieter when they planned to canoe from Alexandra Park in Pietermaritzburg to Durban.

 

1996 | Zimbabwe and England drew their Test match in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

ENTERTAINMENT

1932 | The first horror movie ‘The Mummy’ is released.

AFRICA FACT

Arabic is spoken by 170 million people on the African continent, followed by English with 130 million, Swahili 100 million, French 115 million, Berber 50 million, Hausa 50 million, Portuguese 20 million and Spanish 10 million.