TODAY IN HISTORY
• 2014 - USA
Maya Angelou, American poet, writer and civil rights activist, died aged 89. Her 1969 memoir “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" was the first of her seven memoirs. It tells of her life up to age 17 and brought her international recognition. She was respected as a spokesperson for black people and women, and her works have been considered a defense of black culture.
• 2014 - Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe's cabinet ordered that a controversial equity law which forces foreign companies to cede a majority shareholding to local investors be amended.
• 2013 - Honduras
Honduras' two biggest and most dangerous street gangs declared an unprecedented truce, offering peace in the world's most violent country in exchange for rehabilitation and jobs.
• 2009 - Sweden
Swedish media reported that a 16-year-old Iraqi immigrant living in Sweden cracked a maths puzzle that has stumped experts for more than 300 years. Mohamed Altoumaimi found a formula to explain and simplify the socalled Bernoulli numbers, a sequence of calculations named after the 17th century Swiss mathematician Jacob Bernoulli.
• 2003 - Australia
Peter Hollingworth became the first GovernorGeneral of Australia to resign his office due to criticism of his conduct.
• 1975 - Nigeria
15 West African countries signed the Treaty of Lagos, creating the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). It was established to promote cooperation and integration to create an economic and monetary union for promoting economic growth and development in West Africa.
• 1961 - UK
Peter Benenson's article Theforgottenprisoners
was published in several internationally read newspapers. This later led to the founding of the human rights organisation Amnesty International (AI). Amnesty International is a Londonbased non-governmental group focused on human rights. The organization has over seven million members and supporters around the world.
• 1948 - S/africa
Daniel François Malan was elected as Prime Minister of South Africa. He later went on to implement Apartheid regime.