Nelson Mandela

The Man Who United a Nation

Here’s a timeline of Mandela’s life:

• 1918 – Born in Mvezo, South Africa, into the Thembu royal family
• 1943 – Joins the African National Congress (ANC) to fight against apartheid
• 1952 – Opens South Africa’s first Black law firm with Oliver Tambo, defending victims of apartheid laws
• 1961 – After peaceful protests fail, he co-founds the ANC’s armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe ("Spear of the Nation")
• 1962 – Arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment for his activism
• 1964 – Sentenced to life in prison for sabotage and conspiracy. From his cell, he becomes a global symbol of resistance
• 1990 – Freed after 27 years in prison, leading negotiations to end apartheid
• 1993 – Wins the Nobel Peace Prize alongside F.W. de Klerk for peacefully ending apartheid
• 1994 – Elected as South Africa’s first Black president in a fully democratic election
• 1995 – Supports the Rugby World Cup, using sports to unite a divided nation—a moment immortalized in Invictus
• 1999 – Steps down after one term, setting a rare example of African leadership rejecting lifelong power
• 2013 – Passes away at 95, leaving behind a legacy of peace and reconciliation

If you have time, you should read more about this extraordinary leader on his Wikipedia entry.