On this day in history, September 18
Some of the more interesting things that happened on this day.
On this day, June 5
1752 An expedition of August Beutler, who left the Castle in Cape Town in February, reaches the Keiskamma in the Eastern Cape. 1873 The name of De Beer’s New Rush ...
On this day, April 23
Shock waves in Europe at Prince Imperial’s death, the prolific and influential Bard dies, the EPL’s fastest goal, Channel tunnel idea nixed, New Coke backfires
On this day, April 22
Deadly mistake for amaXhosa in the Battle of Grahamstown, first use of poison gas in warfare, Wild West land rush, record Covid numbers
On this day, April 21
Dawn of the Mughal and Roman empires, luck runs out for the Red Baron, prostitutes off the hook and doomed submarine crew’s farewell video
On this day, April 20
A tyrant is born, the Red Baron bags his last kills, a deadly attack becomes a byword for school mass shootings, Swaziland gets a name change, and George Floyd’s ...
On this day, April 19
A cruel mother, Cook first sights Australia, a psychedelic trip home on a bicycle, and the Waco siege ends
On this day, April 18
The Cape and South Africa’s first school, San Francisco devastated, the audacious Doolittle raiders bomb Japan and South Africa’s first Test match against a non-white ...
On this day, April 17
A racy mediaeval story influences modern English, peace overtures, the Bay of Pigs fiasco, Game of Thrones premières and John Coltrane honoured
On this day, April 16
The first recorded battle, famous gunfighter’s last duel, Great Train Robbers locked up, rapper wins literary prize
On this day, April 15
Peace talks begin, Mickey Mouse pops up, a record trip to South Africa, ‘Baby Jake’ makes us proud, and International Day of Families
On this day, April 14
A king at 4, the English Premier League’s oldest player, FW de Kerk tells the TRC about apartheid, Covid infections reach record numbers
On this day, April 12
The Union Jack flies over Church Square in Pretoria, the first Space Shuttle mission blasts off, Yuri Gagarin becomes the first person to orbit Earth, and Captain ...
On this day, April 11
The Boers lose two of their heroes, trial of the ‘banality of evil’ begins, nuking the Chinese a step too far, Proteas fire their captain for match fixing, and ...
On this day, April 10
Work starts on Cape Town’s fort, the first 1820 settlers arrive, the ‘unsinkable’ Titanic sets sail, South African aces rack up kills in the air, and remains of ...
On this day, April 9
Apartheid mastermind escapes death, looting follows Baghdad’s occupation, the wolves return, and masses line the streets for a funeral
On this day, April 8
An ocean liner is bombed, milk goes in glass, Nazis butcher bombing-raid survivors, and a golden find in the desert
On this day, April 7
The metre is accepted, Mussolini shrugs off attempt on his life and Hansie Cronje charged with match-fixing.
On this day, April 6
Cape Town’s beginning, the first modern Olympics, Gandhi ‘shakes’ the British Empire’s foundations, and what caused the Rwandan genocide.
On this day, April 5
St Patrick returns to the ‘Emerald Isle’, the first of the Ibrox soccer stadium disasters, the legend of Pocahotas begins, Mount Tambora blows its top, the longest ...
On this day, April 4
Nato created, the Beatles set a record or five, Microsoft is founded, the Angolan civil war finally ends, US troops booted out of France and the Elon Musk takeover ...
On this day, April 3
How the colonisation of SA began, the first cellphone call, a ‘royal bastard’ dies, and a famous guitarist says he didn’t smoke his father’s ashes.
On this day, April 2
The Zulu nation loses the Anglo-Zulu War, the Falkland islands are invaded and a notorious gangster is sentenced
On this day, April 1
Origins of April Fool’s Day, the South African police is founded, as is the navy, don’t get within 2 feet of nude dancers and Wimbledon is cancelled – and that’s ...
On this day, March 30
Church reaffirms condemnation of abortion and euthanasia, a globally significant royal dies, US president shot, and farewell to one of the greatest cricketers