Kwame Nkrumah died on 27 April 1972 in Bucharest, aged 62. A Ghanaian politician, Nkrumah studied in the United States and Britain and returned to the Gold Coast to lead the independence movement as head of the Convention People's Party. In 1957 Ghana became the first sub-Saharan African country to win independence from colonial rule, and he served as its prime minister and then, from 1960, as president. A leading Pan-Africanist, he helped to found the Organisation of African Unity, while at home his government became increasingly authoritarian and the economy struggled. He was overthrown in a military coup in 1966 while visiting China and spent his last years in Guinea.
Before and after
- 27 March 1972Launch of Venera 8
- 16 April 1972Launch of Apollo 16
- 16 April 1972Death of Yasunari Kawabata
- 17 April 1972Birth of Jennifer Garner
- 27 April 1972Death of Kwame Nkrumah
- May 1972Carbon dioxide passes 330 ppm at Mauna Loa
- 2 May 1972Birth of Dwayne Johnson
- 16 May 1972Birth of Andrzej Duda
- 25 May 1972Construction of Parc des Princes
More in Wars, politics & history
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- from 25 June 1950 to 27 July 1953Korean War
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The era
This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.