1960: Sharpeville Massacre: South African police kill 89 protesters in Sharpeville and other towns during protests of apartheid pass laws. In Sharpeville itself, 69 were killed and 176 wounded when police opened fire on an unarmed crowd, 63 of them shot in the back. Overall, 13,000 were jailed.

1985: South Africa: During funeral march for three killed in a Sharpeville memorial demo, South African police kill 19 more.

1995: South Africa: On the anniversary of the Sharpeville Massacre, newly elected democratic government establishes today as Human Rights Day. Link.