Here’s a look at what happened on this day, 4 December, throughout history. We remember the news, events, and people that influenced the course of history forever.
ON THIS DAY: 4 DECEMBER
1977 | Jean-Bédel Bokassa crown himself Emperor of Central Africa.
1996 | South African President, Nelson Mandela, meets with Taiwanese Foreign Minister John Chang Hsiao Yen. The Taiwanese government was not happy with the agreement between South Africa and China to work together in politics and economics. They cancelled their agreements with South Africa.
1996 | The Parliament approves the Constitution of South Africa.
2015 | 17 people die and 6 wounded when a bomb was thrown into a restaurant in Cairo, Egypt.
READ: On This Day: What happened on 3 December?
DEATHS
1997 | South African psychiatrist, Joseph Wolpe (82)
2001 | Former South African first lady, Marike de Klerk (64)
2019 | South African rugby player, Ockie Oosthuizen (64)
BIRTHDAYS
1917 | Afrikaans linguist, Dr Hendrik Josephus Terblanche
1962 | Kenyan runner, Nixon Kiprotich
1967 | South African comedian, Marc Lottering
1990 | Nigerian footballer, Lukman Haruna
SPORT
2010 | The Springboks beat Australia 19-12 at the Dubai Sevens.
2011 | CAF Confederation Cup final, Maghreb de Fès win 6-5 on penalties against Club Africain.
ENTERTAINMENT
1964 | The Beatles release their new album ‘Beatles for Sale’.
AFRICA FACT
The length and breadth of the African continent are about the same. It measures around 7 009km horizontal width and 7 248 km vertical length.
