20th JANUARY
1883- Alfred Francis Russel becomes Liberia’s tenth President. An early advocate for coffee cultivation in Liberia who had 8000 coffee trees on his personal plantation by 1850.
1932- England’s Imperial Airways begins a weekly mail-only services between London, England and Cape Town, South Africa.
1949 – Point Four Program a program for economic aid to poor countries announced by United States President Harry S. Truman in his inaugural address for a full term as President.
1986 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is celebrated as a federal holiday for the first time.
2009 – On this day in 2009, Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States, becoming the first African American to hold the office.
1987 – The Margo Commission, set up by the South African government to probe the mysterious death of Mozambican president Samora Machel, started its first hearing at the Rand Supreme Court in Johannesburg. Machel’s plane crashed in Mbuzini near Komatipoort, where the borders of Mozambique and Swaziland and South Africa meet.
The Mozambican president was returning from a meeting of African leaders held in Lusaka, Zambia when his plane crashed. The fact that it crashed over South African territory raised some questions about the possibilities of the involvement of the apartheid regime.
BIRTHDAYS
Timi Dakolo: (born January 20, 1981) is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and music producer. He emerged winner of the inaugural season of Idols West Africa in 2007. He is 43 today.
Melissa Barbieri: Melissa Anne Barbieri is an Australian international soccer goalkeeper who plays for Melbourne City in the A-League Women. She earned over 86 caps with the Australia women’s national soccer team and competed at four FIFA Women’s World Cup tournaments. Barbieri retired from international football in 2015.
