1964 — Zambia Gains Independence

At midnight on October 24, 1964, after decades as Britain's colony of Northern Rhodesia, the nation became Zambia. A new flag rose over Southern Africa, and crowds packed Lusaka, where Kenneth Kaunda, a schoolteacher turned liberator, was sworn in as first president. The nation took its name from the Zambezi River and stood as a free, copper-rich republic.

Kaunda, called Africa's Gandhi for his nonviolent struggle, had endured prison and led protest marches to reach this day. Freedom was shared: within weeks he opened Zambia's doors to freedom fighters battling colonial rule across the region, and Lusaka became a home and headquarters for liberation movements far beyond Zambia's own borders.