Kofi Annan was born on 8 April 1938 in Kumasi. A Ghanaian diplomat, Annan spent most of his career in the United Nations and became its seventh secretary-general, serving two terms from 1997 to 2006 as the first head of the organization from sub-Saharan Africa. He had earlier led peacekeeping operations during the 1990s, a period criticized for failures in Rwanda and Srebrenica, which he later said he deeply regretted. As secretary-general he championed the Millennium Development Goals and campaigned against HIV/AIDS. He and the United Nations shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001. After leaving office he mediated in Kenya and served as joint special envoy for Syria in 2012, and he was a member of The Elders.
Before and after
- 31 January 1938Birth of Beatrix of the Netherlands
- from 18 February 1938 to 23 August 1943Bombing of Chongqing
- 12 March 1938Anschluss
- from 24 March 1938 to 1 April 1946National Mobilization Law
- 8 April 1938Birth of Kofi Annan
- 29 June 1938Establishment of Olympic National Park
- 6 July 1938Discovery of Lysithea
- 16 July 1938Construction of London Luton Airport
- 30 July 1938Discovery of Carme
More in Wars, politics & history
- 1917Russian Revolution
- from 25 October 1917 to 26 October 1917October Revolution
- from 7 November 1917 to 25 October 1922Russian Civil War
- from 18 July 1936 to 1 April 1939Spanish Civil War
- 23 August 1939Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact
- from 30 November 1939 to 13 March 1940Winter War
The era
This moment belongs to the Modern era (1914 CE to 1945 CE), world wars and a changing world. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.