Nelson Mandela Facts

Nelson Mandela was one of the true giants of 20th-century politics. Check out the amazing facts we collected for you, about Mandela!

• Nelson Mandela was born July 18, 1918.

• Mandela’s birth name was Rolihlahla.

• In 1952, Mandela and Oliver Tambo set up South Africa’s first black-run law firm.
  

  
  “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. ” – Nelson Mandela

• He was sentenced to life in prison for life.

• Mandela was in prison for over 27 years.

• Besides politics, Mandela’s other passion was boxing.

• He fought against apartheid, a system where non-white citizens were segregated from whites and did not have equal rights.

• Mandela received Nobel Peace Prize for getting rid of the apartheid system.

• In 1994, he became the first president of South Africa to be elected by a democratic system.

• He promoted reconciliation between whites and blacks.

• He appeared in a Spike Lee film.

• Invictus was a 2009 movie about Nelson Mandela and the South African rugby team.

• Mandela has received more than 250 awards, including honorary degrees from more than 50 universities worldwide.

• He died at home on December 5, 2013 at the age of 95.

• July 18th is Nelson Mandela day. People are asked to devote 67 minutes to helping others. The 67 minutes represents the 67 years Mandela spent serving his country.