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Jason Sendwe (1917–1964) was a Congolese politician and a leader of the Katanga-based BALUBAKAT party. He became involved in several cultural organisations before founding BALUBAKAT to represent the Baluba, and believed that the Congo should remain a united country. Before Congo's independence, he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies and sought to obtain control over Katanga Province, but lost to Moïse Tshombe. Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba nominated Sendwe for State Commissioner for Katanga, but in early July 1960 Tshombe announced Katanga's secession. Sendwe was appointed Deputy Prime Minister of the Congo in 1961, and later was made Commissioner-General of Katanga Province, nominally giving him complete authority over the area. His prospects were damaged in 1962 when the Senate censured him and he resigned. In 1963, Katanga acceded to central authority and Tshombe fled into exile. Sendwe became President of North Katanga Province in September. In January 1964 he lost the presidency of BALUBAKAT. Simba rebels overthrew his government and, in June, killed him. (Full article...)

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On this day

September 23: Celebrate Bisexuality Day

Richard Nixon delivering the Checkers speech

1780 – American Revolutionary War: British officer John André was captured by Patriot forces, thereby revealing a plot by Continental Army general Benedict Arnold to hand over West Point, New York.
1803 – Maratha troops were defeated by forces of the British East India Company at the Battle of Assaye, one of the decisive battles of the Second Anglo-Maratha War.
1952 – U.S. vice-presidential candidate Richard Nixon delivered the Checkers speech (pictured), one of the first political uses of television to appeal directly to the populace.
2008 – A gunman shot and killed ten students at the Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences in Kauhajoki, Finland, before committing suicide.
2016 – Following a number of high-profile sexual assaults, major reforms were enacted to strengthen laws related to rape in Germany.

Eleonora Gonzaga (b. 1598)
Werner Voss (d. 1917)
Michiru Yamane (b. 1963)

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Skyline of Valletta

There are three World Heritage Sites in Malta and a further seven on the official list of sites which may be considered for future submission. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites are places of importance to cultural or natural heritage as described in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972. Malta acceded to the convention on 14 November 1978, and all three sites were added in 1980: the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum, the City of Valletta (pictured), and seven of the Megalithic Temples of Malta. Located primarily on Malta, the main island of the archipelago, they all are classified as cultural sites. (Full list...)

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