January 1789

Olaudah Equiano publishes 'The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano' in London, describing his childhood in the Igbo kingdom, Middle Passage, enslavement, self-purchase of freedom, and seafaring life. The book sells through nine editions in his lifetime, is translated across Europe, and becomes the most influential slave narrative before Frederick Douglass.

Following publication of his autobiography, Equiano embarks on speaking tours across England, Scotland, and Ireland. He works closely with abolitionists William Wilberforce and Granville Sharp, presenting his testimony to Parliament. His public advocacy is credited by historians as materially contributing to the passage of the 1807 Slave Trade Act.