Nelson Mandela...67/day project...day 2, the History

Today is taken from www.whoiswho.co.za
Former President of South Africa

Born 1918-7-18 in Umtata, South Africa

Nelson Mandela was the first South African president of a truly democratic South Africa. He was elected president in 1994, in South Africa's first democratic election, and served until 1999. Prior to becoming president, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist: the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the ANC and both president of the ANC Transvaal branch and the ANC's deputy national president. In 1952 Mandela and Oliver Tambo opened the first black legal firm in the country. Mandela served 27 years in prison, some of which were on Robben Island, after being convicted of “plotting to destroy the South African state by sabotage” at the now famous Rivonia trial. He was released from prison on 11 February 1990. Mandela has received more than 250 awards over four decades, most notably the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. His birthday has been named Mandela Day in his honour, with the United Nations General Assembly observing the first ever annual 'Nelson Mandela Day' on Sunday, 18 July 2010. In 2011, a book about Nelson Mandela entitled 'Nelson Mandela by Himself: The Authorised Book of Quotations' was released.