Patrice Lumumba's Birth Anniversary

 

Patrice Émery Lumumba, born Isaïe Tasumbu Tawosa;on 2 July 1925, in Onalua, Belgian Congo [now Democratic Republic of the Congo], was a Congolese politician and independence leader who served as the first Prime minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo (then known as the Republic of the Congo) from June until September 1960, following the May 1960 election. He was the leader of the Congolese National Movement (MNC) from 1958 until his assassination in 1961. Ideologically an African nationalist and pan-Africanist, he played a significant role in the transformation of the Congo from a colony of Belgium into an independent republic.

Shortly after Congolese independence in June 1960, a mutiny broke out in the army, marking the beginning of the Congo Crisis. After a coup, Lumumba attempted to escape to Stanleyville to join his supporters who had established a new anti-Mobutu state called the Free Republic of the Congo. Lumumba was captured enroute by state authorities under Joseph-Désiré Mobutu (Sese Seko), sent to the State of Katanga and, with the help of Belgian mercenaries, tortured and executed by the separatist Katangan authorities of Moïse Tshombe. In 2002, Belgium formally apologized for its role in the execution, admitting "moral responsibility", and in 2022, they returned Lumumba’s tooth to his family. He is seen as a martyr for the pan-African movement.

 

King Olav V Birth Anniversary

 

Olav V, born on 2 July 1903, in Appleton House, near Sandringham, Norfolk, England, was the king of Norway (1957-91), succeeding his father, King Haakon VII.

Olav was educated at the Norwegian military academy and at the University of Oxford in England. As crown prince he was a celebrated athlete and sportsman, excelling at ski jumping and yachting. He won a gold medal in yachting at the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam. In 1929 Olav married Princess Martha of Sweden, who died in 1954. They had three children.

After having resisted the German invaders for two months during World War II, Olav left for England with the king and the government in June 1940. He was named head of the Norwegian armed forces in 1944. He returned a few weeks before the king in 1945, serving briefly as regent. He again became regent in 1955 when his father suffered an accident, serving in that capacity until Haakon’s death in 1957. Like other constitutional monarchs, Olav’s duties were largely ceremonial. He was succeeded in 1991 by his son, Harald V.

Burundi Independence Day

 

Independence Day is a public holiday in Burundi on July 1st.

This is Burundi's National Day and commemorates independence from Belgium on July 1st 1962.

Burundi is a landlocked region in central Africa. It was an independent kingdom until it became part of the colony of German East Africa, which included Burundi, Rwanda, and the mainland part of Tanzania in the 1890s.

After Germany's defeat in the First World War, control of the western part of German East Africa was ceded to Belgium under the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.

In October 1924, Ruanda-Urundi, which consisted of modern-day Rwanda and Burundi, became a Belgian League of Nations mandate territory.

Despite the control by the two European powers, the monarchy in Burundi had continued, and In 1959, Burundi's ruler Mwami Mwambutsa IV requested independence from Belgium and dissolution of the Ruanda-Urundi union.

The country declared its independence on July 1st 1962 and changed its name from Ruanda-Urundi to Burundi. Burundi became a constitutional monarchy with Mwami Mwambutsa IV as king. On September 18th 1962 Burundi joined the United Nations.

Following independence, Burundi has had a tumultuous series of decades with coups, civil war and genocide. The country has been peaceful since 2006 and Independence Day is seen as a day to show patriotism for Burundi but also to bring people together after the violent past.

Canada Day

 

Canada Day, the national holiday of Canada, is celebrated with parades, displays of the flag, the singing of the national anthem, “O Canada,” and fireworks. When July 1 falls on a Sunday, the holiday is observed on the following day.

The possibility of a confederation between the colonies of British North America was discussed throughout the mid-1800s. On July 1, 1867, a dominion was formed through the British North America Act as approved by the British Parliament. It consisted of territories then called Upper and Lower Canada and of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The act divided Canada into the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, and it included provisions for other colonies and territories to join in the future, which made possible the growth of Canada into its present form. The act served as Canada’s constitution until 1982, and July 1 was celebrated as Dominion Day.

By terms of the Canada Act of 1982, the British North America Act was repatriated from the British to the Canadian Parliament, and Canada became a fully independent country. At the same time, the name of the national holiday was changed to Canada Day.