On This Day: What happened on 01 April?

Here’s a look at what happened on this day, 01 April, throughout history. We remember the news, events, and people that influenced the course of history forever.

1913 | The South African Police (SAP) is established. 

2016 | The EU imposed sanctions on three Libyan officials Agilah Saleh, Khalifa Ghweil and Nuri Abu Sahmain for hindering plans to form a Government of National Accord in Libya. 

2019 | President of Algeria Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced that he would resign by 28 April.

2020 | South African Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize launches COVID19 mobile sampling and testing units at the National Health Laboratory service Head Office in Johannesburg.

2020 | Anglo American continued operations at Kumba Iron Ore Sishen mine in the Northern Cape even though there was a national lockdown.

READ: On This Day: What happened on 31 March?

DEATHS

2018 | Ethiopian-American fashion designer, Amsale Aberra (64) 

2020 | Egyptian Minister of Awqaf, Mahmoud Zakzouk (86) 

2020 | South African-Israeli jazz clarinettist, Harold Rubin (87)

2020 | Former Somali Prime Minister, Nur Hassan Hussein (82)

BIRTHDAYS

1981 | South African musician, Winnie Mashaba

1984 | South African film producer & co-founder and CEO at Fort, Shukri Toefy

1985 | South African-British gymnast, Beth Tweddle

1991 | South African adventurer, Keegan Longueira

SPORT

2005 | Bayern Munich announces on its website that it was going to sign David Beckham as an April Fool’s joke.

2020 | The Wimbledon tennis championships were cancelled to Covid-19.

 

ENTERTAINMENT

2012 | WrestleMania XXVIII: The Rock defeats John Cena, in a match titled “Once in a Lifetime”. It was the highest-grossing pay-per-view (PPV) event in professional wrestling history. 

2019 | Netflix hired a Kenyan producer Dorothy Ghettuba to work on the African content.

AFRICA FACT

Four of the five fastest land animals in the world are found on the African continent (Cheetah, Wildebeest, Lion, and Thomson’s gazelle).