1979 — Rawlings's Failed Coup Attempt

On May 15, 1979, Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings led junior officers in a mutiny against Ghana's ruling Supreme Military Council. The revolt at the Accra air force base was crushed within hours, and Rawlings was court-martialed and sentenced to death for daring to challenge the generals who held power over the country.

In the courtroom, his fiery denunciation of the generals' corruption made him a hero to the junior ranks who heard him. Three weeks later, soldiers stormed his jail cell and broke him out. A failed attempt, a death sentence, and a prison door forced open had together set Ghana on an entirely new course.