11
DIED
John Hume, North-
ern Irish politician
and Nobel laureate
who helped end de-
cades of sectarian
violence, on Aug. 2,
at 83.
> Connie Culp, who
became the first
U.S. face-transplant
recipient in 2008, on
July 29, at 57.
> NYC journalist and
novelist Pete Hamill,
on Aug. 5 at 85.COMPLETED
China’s BeiDou
Navigation Satellite
System, which could
compete with U.S.
GPS, on July 31.BATTERED
The U.S. East Coast,
by Tropical Storm
Isaias, which made
landfall in North Car-
olina on Aug. 3 as a
hurricane. The storm
killed at least five
people and knocked
out power for more
than 2.8 million.BURNED
More than 42 sq. mi.,
by the Apple Fire in
Southern California,
as of Aug. 5.ORDERED
A curfew in
Melbourne, for
six weeks, as part
of tough social-
distancing rules
announced Aug. 2,
after a spike in
COVID-19 cases.DETECTED
Dozens of COVID-
cases, on two cruise
ships, one in Norway
and one in Tahiti, just
weeks after cruises
restarted.SPLASHED DOWN
NASA astronauts
Robert Behnken and
Douglas Hurley, in a
SpaceX capsule, on
Aug. 2, after the first
manned trip to the
International Space
Station by a private
company.In the 2012 Republican presidential-nomination contest, Cain’s “9-9-9”
tax plan drew eye rolls from economists but curiosity from votersDIED
Herman Cain
Conservative originalAt A 1996 politicAl event At SylviA’S Soul-food reStAu-
rant in Harlem, a man in the crowd shouted out something that
changed Herman Cain’s life: “Black Republicans? There’s no such
thing.” The remark so angered Cain, then an independent, that
he switched his registration —and over the next quarter-century,
the child of the segregated South and former head of the National
Restaurant Association became one of the country’s best-known
Black Republicans, even running for President in 2012.
So committed to his party was Cain that he flew to Tulsa,
Okla., for President Donald Trump’s June 20 return to the cam-
paign trail, despite health warnings. As candidates, Cain and
Trump were, in many ways, cut from the same cloth. Neither was
elected to any political post before running for the White House.
They shot from the hip and campaigned in slogans. Both faced
allegations of sexual harassment and other inappropriate behav-
ior; both denied the claims, though they proved disqualifying for
Cain. Both were savvy exploiters of media, often saying things
they knew would draw outrage and thus attention. Indifference—
if not hostility—toward precedent and fact was a cornerstone of
their strategies, not a flaw.
At that indoor rally in Tulsa, Cain, a cancer survivor, posed
for pictures without wearing a mask and sat in the packed
stands. On June 29, he tested positive for COVID-19; he was hos-
pitalized July 1. On July 30, his aides announced that Cain had
died at age 74.
—philip elliottMilestonesCHARGED
Author in revolt
in Zimbabweon July 27, tSitSi dAngA-
rembga’s novel This Mourn-
able Body was long-listed
for the Booker Prize. Four
days later, the Zimbabwean
author was behind bars,
charged with incitement to
commit violence and breach-
ing corona virus restrictions
during anti government
protests.
Tensions are rising in
Zimbabwe over soaring infla-
tion, massive unemployment
and allegations of govern-
ment corruption. Danga-
rembga, who has been freed
on bail, was arrested carrying
placards calling for reform
and for the release of a prom-
inent journalist arrested ear-
lier in the week. “If you want
your suffering to end, you
have to act,” the 61-year-old
tweeted, before being de-
tained. “Action comes from
hope. This is the principle of
faith and action.”
Dangarembga, whose
work explores themes of
race, gender and colonialism,
is considered one of Africa’s
finest novelists. On Sept. 15,
she’s set to learn whether her
novel is on the Booker short
list. Three days later, she’s
due to return to court.
—Aryn BAkerDangarembga after being freed
PYTHON: RHONA WISE—AFP/GETTY IMAGES; CAIN: T.J. KIRKPATRICK—REDUX; DANGAREMBGA: JEKESAI NJIKIZANA—AFP/GETTY IMAGES on bail on Aug. 1