In 1969, Muammar Gaddafi overthrew the only king to ever rule post-independent Libya, Muhammad Idris bin Muhammad al-Mahdi as-Senussi, just 18-years into his reign. The fear was so strong that Idris went into exile in Egypt in 1922. On this day in 1951, Idris was declared the king of the United Kingdom of Libya, with his headquarters at Benghazi. King Idris with then-U.S. Idris went into exile in Egypt, where he stayed until his death in 1983.

Source: The North Africa Journal December 24, 2018 15:00 UTC