Where accounts differ
History is told from different vantage points. These cards set out the main points on which the sources used in Story of Salone disagree, so readers can judge for themselves.
How the country was named
Britannica credits Pedro de Sintra in 1462. A Portuguese account quoted in the Golden Jubilee book says he chose the name because the land looked rough and wild. Other accounts point to thunder or lion-shaped hills. Historian Magbaily Fyle argues the name predates 1462.
Why Freetown was founded
Traditionally told as a humanitarian project. Encyclopaedia Africana argues that changing economics of the sugar trade also drove it.
Sources 1
The oldest university
Some sources call Fourah Bay College the oldest university in Africa. Others describe it more narrowly as the first Western-style university in sub-Saharan Africa.
The first secondary school
The Grammar School and the 1988 heroes book call it the first in West or sub-Saharan Africa. A 2003 almanac lists Liberia's College of West Africa (1833) as older.
First knighthood
Encyclopaedia Africana calls Sir Samuel Lewis the first African knighted; most other sources say first West African.
Freetown harbour
Tourism and reference sources often call it the third-largest natural harbour in the world. No measurement supporting the ranking was found.
The 1898 rising
The British government's 1899 report treated it as an insurrection. The 1988 heroes book calls the campaign against Bai Bureh a war of aggression, and some historians argue he was wrongly identified as its instigator.
Madam Yoko
Sources date her rise to 1878 or 1884. She is remembered both as a stateswoman and as an ally of colonial rule, and accounts of her death in 1906 differ.
Mansa Kama's dates
The heroes book gives both c. 1650–1720 and the mid-1500s to early 1600s.
Sources 114
The 1967 election
Encyclopaedia Africana reports an initial tie of 32 seats each before the Governor-General appointed Siaka Stevens, followed by a military takeover. The 1988 heroes book says Sir Albert Margai lost; the Golden Jubilee book says the SLPP did not concede.
The Stevens years
The 1988 heroes book, published under the APC, describes growing national unity and stability. Encyclopaedia Africana and the Golden Jubilee book describe election violence, executions and the move to a one-party state.
Constance Cummings-John
Remembered as a pioneer of women's political leadership; some accounts also record accusations of financial impropriety against her.
Ella Koblo Gulama
Described as the first female cabinet minister in sub-Saharan Africa by some sources and in West Africa by others.
Who created Kikakui
The heroes book credits Kisimi Kamara alone. The Unicode Standard says he developed a script first created by his teacher, Mohamed Turay.
Origins of palm-wine music
Ebenezer Calendar popularised it; its roots are traced to Kru communities in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The 1996 elections
UN Women credits them with restarting democracy. Conciliation Resources notes they did not bring peace, and at the time some argued for "peace before elections".
A Long Way Gone
A widely read memoir; The Australian questioned parts of its chronology.
Sources 83
1980s visitor numbers
A hotel-industry report gives more than 100,000 a year; no official series confirming this was found.
Sources 138