Short answers, pulled from the story.
A team of paleoanthropologists discovered the fossilized skeleton of Australopithecus afarensis known as Lucy in 1974 within Ethiopia's Afar Triangle. This specimen dates to approximately 3.9 million years ago and provides critical evidence for human evolution originating on the African continent.
Rapid desertification began around 3500 BC due to changes in Earth's orbit which forced populations to migrate toward more tropical climates. Before this event the Sahara had become a green fertile valley with rock art paintings depicting large populations at Tassili n'Ajjer by 10,500 BC.
The Kingdom of Kerma emerged as a dominant force in Nubia controlling territory between the First and Fourth cataracts of the Nile. It existed alongside Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt which coalesced under nomes ruled by nomarchs around 3500 BC.
Ghana became the first sub-Saharan colony granted independence in March 1957 followed by waves of decolonization across the continent culminating in the 1960 Year of Africa. This occurred after imperial rule by Europeans continued until after World War II when almost all remaining colonial territories gradually obtained formal independence.
A genocide in Rwanda in 1994 resulted in up to 800,000 deaths adding to a severe refugee crisis that fueled militia groups in neighboring countries. This event contributed to the outbreak of the first and second Congo Wars which were the deadliest conflicts in modern Africa with up to 5.5 million deaths.