The world's shortest war, British settler claim Port Natal (Durban), and that was one hell of a bang
Anak Krakatau – the “Child of Krakatoa” – erupts in December, 2018, causing more than 400 deaths. But that was nothing compared to the 1883 explosion that tore the island apart, killed tens of thousands, changed global temperatures and created the loudest sound ever heard.
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On this day in history, August 27
1824 Retired Royal Navy officer, Lieutenant Francis Farewell, hoists the Union Jack at Port Natal (later called Durban after Cape Governor, Sir Benjamin D’Urban) and claims it for Britain.
1883 A chain of natural disasters that will be felt across the world for years to come, comes into play following the explosion of Krakatoa. Continuing from the previous day’s gargantuan upheaval, four eruptions prove cataclysmic. Ash shoots up 80km. Fine dust then drifts across the Earth, causing spectacular sunsets and forming an atmospheric veil that lowers temperatures by several degrees. Of 36 000 deaths, at least 31 000 were from tsunamis created when much of the island sank 850m below the sea. Blast waves register around the world.
1896 Britain defeats Zanzibar in a 38-minute war – the shortest in history.
1900 During the Battle of Bergendal, British General, Sir Redvers Buller defeats the Boers under General Louis Botha. It is the last set-piece battle of the Anglo Boer War and the last time that the Boers’ four 155mm ‘Long Tom’ cannon are used in the same battle.
1928 Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi, prominent Zulu prince, leader of the IFP, and prime minister to three Zulu kings – Cyprian, Zwelithin and Misuzulu – is born.
1950 The US accepts a South African offer to send a fighter squadron to Korea in support of the UN involvement in the peninsula.
1987 Three men accused of plotting to kidnap ANC leaders in London and fly them to SA say the British government was also involved.
1996 Seven Iraqi hijackers surrender aboard a Sudanese airliner at London’s Stansted Airport.
2020 Australian white supremacist Brenton Tarrant is sentenced to life without parole for the killing of 51 people praying in a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2019. Six years later, in February 2025, Singapore detains an 18-year-old, who identified as a East Asian supremacist after a tip-off that he had been using a violent online game to train for a similar attack on Muslims, having been inspired by Tarrant. In 2023, Singapore also detained a young man, aged 18, with similar intent, as well as two others – 17 and 14 – in 2024.
DAILY NEWS