13 OCTOBER, 1706
Emperor Iyasu, Iyasu the Great, who reigned from 1682 to 1706, died on 13 October, 1706. His first born son, Tekle Haymanot, had him assassinated. He was known as 'the greatest of the Gondarine emperors.' (Henze 102-4) OCTOBER 1769 Emperor Yohanness II died in October 1769. He may have been poisoned. He was succeeded by Tekle Haymanot II. (Henze 106)
OCTOBER 1973
Runner Abebe Bikila of Ethiopia died this month in 1973 due to poor health. Abebe Bikila became the first African to win a gold medal at the Olympics when he ran barefoot in the marathon event at the 1960 Olympics held in Rome. He also became the first man to win Gold in the Marathon consecutively in 1964 at the Tokyo Olympics.
