Every Day Is Special: August 1 – Africa from A to Z

August 1 – Africa from A to Z

Posted on August 1, 2017

There are more than 50 nations in Africa - many of them quite large, and several of them tiny - many of them mostly hot and dry and covered with desert, some warm and moist and covered with jungle. Today we are going to look at historical anniversaries from the African countries that start with A and Z.

Angola - On this date in 1974, after a coup removed the Portuguese rulers of this nation, armed forces for this newly independent nation were formed.

Algeria - On this date in 1996 began a visit of the French minister of foreign affairs to Algeria, a former French colony. Algeria had been rocked by violent civil war and civilian massacres for several years, and the visit was supposed to give a "new start" to relations between France and Algeria. However, still on this date, a bomb exploded and killed the respected French-born Archbishop of Oran. The French minister packed up and left.

Zambia - On this date in 1999, a cease-fire agreement was signed by the head of the Congo Liberation Movement. Five other nations involved in the cease fire had already previously signed the accord.

Zimbabwe - On this date in 2008, the badly inflated money of Zimbabwe was re-calibrated, as it were. Every 10 billion dollars became - get this - just 1 dollar.

This last historical anniversary is a true shocker. How is it possible that $10,000,000,000 could, in just one moment, become $1?

Well, at that point, as you may have guessed, the Zimbabwe dollar was pretty much worthless. In just four years, during the 2000s, Zimbabwe went through FOUR currencies!

In 2006:

1,000 First Zimbabwe dollars = 1 Second Zimbabwe dollar

In 2008:

1,000,000,000 Second Zimbabwe dollars = 1 Third Zimbabwe dollar

In 2009:

1,000,000,000,000 Third Zimbabwe dollars = 1 Fourth Zimbabwe dollar

So, if you compare 2005 First Zimbabwe dollars to 2009 Fourth Zimbabwe dollars...

10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 First ZWD = 1 Fourth ZWD

Wow!!!!

Of course, ATM machines no longer worked - they would give "data overflow" errors! Z$100 billion wouldn't even buy a loaf of bread!! The value of a check would be decimated by the time the check was deposited and cleared!!!

You cannot increase wealth by just printing more money, and by 2009 the Zimbabwe dollars - all of them - had to be given up. Nowadays the U.S. dollar is the official currency of the nation, although the South African rand and other currencies are in use as well.

Check out the locations of these A - Z African countries: