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THE DAY IN HISTORY · OCTOBER 1

October 1 in history

What happened on October 1: 2 moments from the Maps of History atlases, in 1949 and 1960, each linked to the map that shows it.

Mao proclaims the People’s Republic of China from the Gate of Heavenly Peace. The south-west is still in Nationalist hands, and the new state has more soldiers than Party members to govern with.

READ THIS MOMENT → · SEE IT ON THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC UNDER MAO MAP →

— Independence of Nigeria

1 Oct 1960 — The Union Jack comes down over Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation. Its federation joins three regions and 250 peoples. That scale makes Nigeria the continent’s great federal experiment, while making its divisions a deep fault line.

READ THIS MOMENT → · SEE IT ON THE DECOLONIZATION OF AFRICA MAP → · THE FULL STORY →

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