http://www.history.com/photos/nelson-mandela nelson mandela en Copyright 2013, History.com Wed, 22 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT History.com 2013-05-22T04:00:00Z en Copyright 2013, History.com http://www.history.com/photos/nelson-mandela/photo1 Antiapartheid activist and former South African president Nelson Mandela, often known by his tribal name of Madiba, was born on July 18, 1918. http://www.history.com/photos/nelson-mandela/photo1 http://www.history.com/photos/nelson-mandela/photo2 In 1944, Mandela joined the African National Congress, a group committed to ending South Africa's system of institutionalized racial apartheid. http://www.history.com/photos/nelson-mandela/photo2 http://www.history.com/photos/nelson-mandela/photo3 By the 1960s, Mandela and others, frustrated with the slow pace of reform, had moved away from the ANC's nonviolent approach and begun to advocate for more extreme measures. http://www.history.com/photos/nelson-mandela/photo3 http://www.history.com/photos/nelson-mandela/photo4 As head of the newly formed militant wing of the ANC, known as the MK, Mandela coordinated a sabotage campaign against South Africa's government. http://www.history.com/photos/nelson-mandela/photo4 http://www.history.com/photos/nelson-mandela/photo5 In 1962, Mandela was arrested and brought to trial on charges of treason. Sentenced to life in prison, he would spend the next 27 years in a series of harsh South African jails. http://www.history.com/photos/nelson-mandela/photo5 http://www.history.com/photos/nelson-mandela/photo6 Mandela remained the symbolic leader of the antiapartheid movement despite his imprisonment. After more than 27 years in captivity, Nelson Mandela was finally released on February 11, 1990. http://www.history.com/photos/nelson-mandela/photo6 http://www.history.com/photos/nelson-mandela/photo7 In December 1993, Nelson Mandela and then-South African president F.W. de Klerk were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to end racial apartheid and establish a multiracial government. http://www.history.com/photos/nelson-mandela/photo7 http://www.history.com/photos/nelson-mandela/photo8 On April 26, 1994, more than 22 million South Africans went to the polls, and Nelson Mandela was overwhelmingly elected the nation's first black president. http://www.history.com/photos/nelson-mandela/photo8 http://www.history.com/photos/nelson-mandela/photo9 Nelson Mandela retired from politics in 1999 at the end of his first term as South African president. http://www.history.com/photos/nelson-mandela/photo9 http://www.history.com/photos/nelson-mandela/photo10 In his later years, Mandela has continued to champion social and political causes, including AIDS awareness, both in his native South Africa and around the world. http://www.history.com/photos/nelson-mandela/photo10