TODAY IN HISTORY: AUGUST 16

August 16 1907
In Marrakech, Mulai Hafid, the current sultan's brother, proclaimed himself to be the new leader of Morocco.

August 16 1940 - World War II: East Africa
As Italy continued to advance into British Somaliland, British troops were pulled out of Tug Argan.

August 16 1942- World War II: North Africa
US Army Air Force planes saw action for the first time in North Africa, bombing German military positions from their base in Egypt.

August 16 1951
In response to a request to lift its blockade on the Suez Canal, Egypt demanded that British troops must first depart the region.

August 16 1960
Patrice Lumumba declared martial law in the Katanga region of the Congo as a result of the continuing sessession crisis.

August 16 1993
Walvis Bay, South Africa's last colonial possession in Africa, was handed over to Namibia.

August 16 1958: Madonna born
On this day in 1958, Madonna Louise Ciccone, the entertainment icon later known around the world by her first name only, was born near Detroit, Michigan. After rising to stardom as a pop singer and dancer in the 1980s, Madonna added acting to her resume, with roles in such films as Desperately Seeking Susan, Dick Tracy, A League of Their Own and Evita. The provocative performer, who often tackled sexual and religious themes in her work, also became famous for her ever-changing hairstyles and fashion sense as well as her personal life, which remains an ongoing source of fascination to the tabloid media.

Madonna was raised in a Catholic family in the suburbs of Detroit. After dropping out of the University of Michigan in 1978, the future “Material Girl” moved to New York City to become a dancer. She burst onto the music scene in 1982 with her dance single “Everybody,” which was followed by her self-titled debut album in 1983. She performed the title track of her second album, Like a Virgin, at the first MTV Video Music Awards in 1984, wearing her trademark “Boy Toy” belt. Like a Virgin, Madonna’s first album to reach the No. 1 spot on the music charts, was followed by True Blue (1986) and Like a Prayer (1989), both of which also reached the top of the charts and helped establish her as one of the best-selling artists of the 1980s. Other albums have included Bedtime Stories (1994), Ray of Light (1998), Music (2000), American Life (2003), Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005) and Hard Candy (2008). In March 2008, the chameleonic hitmaker was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Madonna made her acting debut in Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), which was followed by Shanghai Surprise (1986), co-starring her first husband, Sean Penn, and Who’s That Girl (1987). In Dick Tracy (1990), Madonna acted opposite Warren Beatty, with whom she became romantically involved during filming. In 1991, she starred in Madonna: Truth or Dare?, a behind-the-scenes documentary about her “Blonde Ambition” tour. In 1992, Madonna caused a scandal with her Erotica album as well as a controversial, adult-themed book of photos titled Sex. Also that year, she appeared on the big-screen in A League of Their Own, a well-received movie about an all-female baseball league, co-starring Tom Hanks, Geena Davis and Rosie O’Donnell.

Source: history.com, africanhistory.about.com