10 February – A conference about the independence of the
Belgian Congo begins in
Brussels.
29 February–1 March – The 5.7 MwAgadir earthquake shakes coastal
Morocco with a maximum perceived intensity of
X (Extreme), destroying Agadir, and leaving 12,000 dead and another 12,000 injured.
March
21 March – The
Sharpeville massacre in South Africa kills more than 69 people, wounds 300.
14 September – Colonel
Joseph Mobutu takes power in Congo (Leopoldville) in a military coup.
20 September – Dahomey, Upper Volta, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo (Leopoldville), Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville), Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Madagascar, Niger, Somalia, Togo, Mali and Senegal obtain membership in the
United Nations.
22 September – Mali declares independence from the Mali federation.
9 December – French President Charles de Gaulle's visit to Algeria is marked by bloody riots by European and Muslim mobs in Algeria's largest cities, killing 127 people.
13 December – While Emperor
Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia visits
Brazil, his Imperial Bodyguard revolts unsuccessfully against his rule. The rebels proclaim the emperor's son, Crown Prince
Asfa Wossen, as Emperor.
17 December – Troops loyal to Haile Selassie I in Ethiopia suppress the revolt that began 13 December, giving power back to their leader upon his return from Brazil. Haile Selassie absolves his son of any guilt.
Continental population in 1960
Africa: 277,398,000
Births
4 March –
John Mugabi,
Ugandan boxer and world Junior Middleweight champion
10 February – A conference about the independence of the
Belgian Congo begins in
Brussels.
29 February–1 March – The 5.7 MwAgadir earthquake shakes coastal
Morocco with a maximum perceived intensity of
X (Extreme), destroying Agadir, and leaving 12,000 dead and another 12,000 injured.
March
21 March – The
Sharpeville massacre in South Africa kills more than 69 people, wounds 300.
14 September – Colonel
Joseph Mobutu takes power in Congo (Leopoldville) in a military coup.
20 September – Dahomey, Upper Volta, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo (Leopoldville), Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville), Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Madagascar, Niger, Somalia, Togo, Mali and Senegal obtain membership in the
United Nations.
22 September – Mali declares independence from the Mali federation.
9 December – French President Charles de Gaulle's visit to Algeria is marked by bloody riots by European and Muslim mobs in Algeria's largest cities, killing 127 people.
13 December – While Emperor
Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia visits
Brazil, his Imperial Bodyguard revolts unsuccessfully against his rule. The rebels proclaim the emperor's son, Crown Prince
Asfa Wossen, as Emperor.
17 December – Troops loyal to Haile Selassie I in Ethiopia suppress the revolt that began 13 December, giving power back to their leader upon his return from Brazil. Haile Selassie absolves his son of any guilt.
Continental population in 1960
Africa: 277,398,000
Births
4 March –
John Mugabi,
Ugandan boxer and world Junior Middleweight champion