This Day in Black History: Dec. 9, 1961
Tanganyika gains independence from Great Britain.
By Britt Middleton
December 9, 2011 / 7:00 AM
<p>The East African nation of Tanganyika, which would later merge with the country of Zanzibar to become <a target="_blank" href="http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2843.htm">Tanzania</a>, proclaimed its independence from Great Britain. Tanganyika was the first East African country to become a sovereign state.</p>
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<p><i>(Photo: Keystone/Getty Images)</i></p>
