1480 - Bartholomeu Dias becomes the first European to sail around the southern tip of Africa, which will come to be known as South Africa. He discovered it while trying to find a trade route to southern Asia.
1886 - The Witwatersrand Gold Rush begins. This led to the establishment of Johannesburg, which will come to be South Africa's largest city. The site where the first chunks of gold were discovered is now called George Harrison Park - after George Harrison, the miner who discovered the gold.
1961 - South Africa is declared a Republic. This was determined by a vote (which was restricted to only whites.) 52.29% of voters chose to make South Africa a republic, narrowly becoming the majority.
1867 - Diamonds are discovered in Kimberley - the capital of South Africa's Northern Cape Province. Kimberley mine is an open-pit and claimed to be the largest hole dug by hand.
Kimberley Mine, also known as "The Big Hole."
1893 - Mahatma Gandhi arrives in South Africa. He spends 21 years there, where he develops the political skills, ethics and leadership skills that will eventually make him one of the most famous philosophers/civil rights activists in the world.
1964 - Nelson Mandela is sentenced to life in prison. He was convicted for leading a sabotage campaign against the government. He will be released in 1990, where he will move on to be a civil rights activist, freedom fighter and even president of South Africa.
Other Facts
South Africa contains some of the oldest fossils in the world.
The first European settlers in South Africa were brought by the Dutch East India Company.