South African historian Charles van Onselen is born.

Charles van Onselen was born on 14 August 1944, in the South African town of Boksburg, Gauteng (then Transvaal).[i] van Onselen has become one of the most widely respected South African historians, whose work is widely published, both nationally and internationally. He chose to centre his already well documented research on the social, economic and political foundations of southern African societies, on criminology.[ii] Certainly van Onselen has mastered the art of incorporating different aspects of history, whether it is the social, economic, legal or criminal aspects of micro events into the broader South African context.[iii] Charles van Onselen has truly impacted the manner in which South African history is perceived, by choosing relatively unknown topics, and therefore revolutionising South African history. Endnotes [i] http://www.up.ac.za/media/shared/Legacy/sitefile/publications/2013/cas/cvprof_charles_van_onselen.pdf↵ [ii] van Onselen, C.: The Fox and the Flies: The Criminal World of the Whitechapel Murderer. Random House, Pretoria, 2011.↵ [iii] van Onselen, C.: The Small Matter of a Horse: The Life of ‘Nongoloza’ Mathebula 1867-1948. Protea Book House, Pretoria, 2008.↵