Mandela Born: Anti-Apartheid Icon and Reconciliation Leader
Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison — 18 of them on Robben Island, breaking limestone in a quarry — and emerged without apparent bitterness. He'd been sentenced to life in 1964 for sabotage; the prosecution had asked for the death penalty. He used his prison time to study law and Afrikaans, learning the language of his jailers so he could understand them. He was released in February 1990 and spent four years negotiating the end of apartheid while keeping his fractured country from civil war. He became president in 1994, served one term, and stepped down voluntarily. He was 76. He lived to 95. He once said that if he could manage to keep the hatred from coming back when he walked out of prison, he could survive anything.
July 18, 1918
108 years ago
What Else Happened on July 18
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