Wangari Muta Maathai was born on 1 April 1940 in Nyeri. A Kenyan environmentalist and political activist, Maathai was the first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate, in veterinary anatomy, and she taught at the University of Nairobi. In 1977 she founded the Green Belt Movement, which encouraged rural women to plant trees to restore degraded land, creating jobs and fighting soil erosion, and which planted tens of millions of trees. She spoke out against land grabbing and the authoritarian government of Daniel arap Moi, and was repeatedly arrested and beaten. She later served in parliament and as an assistant minister. In 2004 she became the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
Before and after
- 23 February 1940Release of Pinocchio
- 10 March 1940Birth of Chuck Norris
- 12 March 1940Moscow Peace Treaty
- 16 March 1940Death of Selma Lagerlöf
- 1 April 1940Birth of Wangari Muta Maathai
- from 9 April 1940 to 10 June 1940Operation Weserübung
- 13 April 1940Birth of Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio
- 16 April 1940Birth of Margrethe II of Denmark
- 25 April 1940Birth of Al Pacino
More in Wars, politics & history
- from 8 March 1917 to 16 March 1917February Revolution
- from 1 August 1927 to 1 May 1950Chinese Civil War
- from 7 July 1937 to 9 September 1945Second Sino-Japanese War
- from 22 June 1941 to 7 May 1945Eastern Front
- from 22 June 1941 to 5 December 1941Operation Barbarossa
- 7 December 1941Attack on Pearl Harbor
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.