May 4 – Cassinga Day in Namibia

n

nToday the African nation of Namibia commemorates hundreds of victims of an attack by South Africa on Namibians in the town of Cassinga.
n
n
n
nBut…the town of Cassinga is located in the nation to the north of Namibia, in Angola!
n
n
n

n

n
n
nDuring the time of the 1978 attack, Namibia was in a war of independence with South Africa, and it was using Cassinga as a training site and refugee camp.
n
nNamibia didn’t gain full independence until 1990, and it didn’t gain control of Walvis Bay and the Penguin Islands until 1994!
n
nI always think of Namibia in terms of the gorgeous Namib and Kalahari Deserts…
n
n
n

n

n
n

n

n

n

n

n…and the place where desert meets ocean…
n
n
n

n

n
n…but let’s check out the Penguin Islands:
n
nThey are tiny and uninhabited, and they are scattered far and wide along the coastline. Some teeny “islands” are actually just rocks!
n
n
n

n

n

This old map was made back when Namibia was German SouthWest Africa, before it became territory of the United Kingdom and was administered by South Africa.

n
n
nBUT the Penguin Islands are more valuable than one would imagine, since they are rich in guano deposits (bird poop, used in fertilizers) and have even been a source of diamonds!
n
nThe islands’ name comes from the fact that African penguins lives there.
n
n

n

n

n

n

n
nIn fact, lots of seabirds take sanctuary on the tiny islands. (No duh: guano!) One island, Mercury Island, is important in the life cycle of 80% of the world’s black cormorants!
n
n
n

n

n
n
n
n
n

n

n
n

nAlso on this date:

n

n

n
Remembrance of the Dead in the Netherlands 

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

nBirthday of Bartolomeo Cristofori, the inventor of the piano

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n
n
n

nGreenery Day in Japan

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n
n

n

nnn
n

n

nnWorld Password Day

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

nActor and WWII hero Audrey Hepburn’s birthday

n

n

n

n
n

n

n

n
n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

nRestoration of the Republic of Latvia
n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n
n

n

n
n

n

nnn
n

nNational Scrapbooking Day

nn

n

n

n

n(First Saturday of May)

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

nPlan ahead:

n

n
Check out my Pinterest boards for:

n

n
• nMay holidays 

  n

n

• nMay birthdays 

  n

n

• nHistorical anniversaries in May

  n

n

n

nAnd here are my Pinterest boards for:

n

n
• nJune holidays

  n

n

• nJune birthdays

  n

n

• nHistorical anniversaries in June

  n

n

n

n

n

n