October 21, 1956: The Mau Mau Rebellion Ends

October 21, 1956: The Mau Mau Rebellion ends, with the capture of the rebels' leader, Field Marshal Dedan Kimathi.

The Mau Mau rebellion, also known as the Mau Mau uprising, Mau Mau revolt or Kenya Emergency, was a war in the British Kenya Colony (1920–1963) between the Kenya Land and Freedom Army (KLFA), also known as the Mau Mau, and the British authorities.

Dominated by the Kikuyu people, Meru people and Embu people, the KLFA also comprised units of Kamba and Maasai peoples who fought against the white European colonist-settlers in Kenya, the British Army, and the local Kenya Regiment (British colonists, local auxiliary militia, and pro-British Kikuyu people).

However, the rebellion survived until after Kenya's independence from Britain, driven mainly by the Meru units led by Field Marshal Musa Mwariama and General Baimungi. Baimungi, one of the last Mau Mau generals, was killed shortly after Kenya attained self-rule.

The KLFA failed to capture widespread public support, due to a British policy of divide and rule. The Mau Mau movement remained internally divided, despite attempts to unify the factions. The British, meanwhile, applied the strategy and tactics they developed in suppressing the Malayan Emergency (1948–60).

Suppressing the Mau Mau Uprising in the Kenyan colony cost Britain £55 million, and caused at least 11,000 deaths among the Mau Mau and other forces, with some estimates considerably higher. This included 1,090 executions by hanging. The rebellion was marked by war crimes and massacres committed by both sides.

In August 1952, Jomo Kenyatta told a Kikuyu audience "Mau Mau has spoiled the country... Let Mau Mau perish forever." Kenyatta, who became the 1st Prime Minister of Kenya after independence in 1963, described the conflict in his memoirs as a civil war rather than a rebellion. 

*

October 21, 1956 was a Sunday. Actress Carrie Fisher was born, the daughter of actress Debbie Reynolds and singer Eddie Fisher, and later the half-sister of actress Joely Fisher. Paul Levitz was also born that day. Although he wrote for DC Comics, he was more important for the writers and artists he hired as an executive with them, enabling the company's revival in the 1980s.

Baseball season had ended 11 days earlier, with the New York Yankees winning Game 7 of the World Series over the Brooklyn Dodgers. The NBA season began 6 days later. There were 2 games played in the NHL. The New York Rangers beat the Chicago Black Hawks, 4-1 at the old Madison Square Garden. And the Boston Bruins and the Detroit Red Wings played to a tie, 3-3 at the Olympia Stadium in Detroit. The Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs were not scheduled.

And these NFL games were played:

* The New York Giants beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, 38-10 at Yankee Stadium.

* The Chicago Cardinals beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 20-6 at Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia.

* The Washington Redskins beat the Cleveland Browns, 20-9 at Griffith Stadium in Washington.

* The Detroit Lions beat the San Francisco 49ers, 20-17 at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. (It was renamed Tiger Stadium in 1961.)

* The Chicago Bears beat the Baltimore Colts, 58-27 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

* And the Green Bay Packers beat the Los Angeles Rams, 42-17 at Milwaukee County Stadium.