Six Things You May Not Know About Nelson Mandela

July 18 every year is regarded as Nelson Mandela Day. The day marks the lifetime achievement of the first democratically elected black President of South Africa.  He was a tireless and courageous fighter against the Apartheid regime in South Africa.  

His decision to step aside after his first term as president is a lesson to many sit-tight leaders in Africa.  Here are six things you may not know about Nelson Mandela

He was on the US terror watch list

Nelson Mandela wasn’t removed from the US terror watch list until 2008 – at age 89. He and other members of the African National Congress were placed on it because of their militant fight against apartheid.

Mandela got his inspiration from a poem

While he was in prison, Mandela would read William Ernest Henley’s “Invictus” to fellow prisoners. The poem, about never giving up, resonated with Mandela for its lines “I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul.” You may know it from the movie by the same name starring Morgan Freeman as Mandela.

He was a master of disguise

When Nelson Mandela was eluding authorities during his fight against apartheid, he disguised himself in various ways, including as a chauffeur. The press nicknamed him “the Black Pimpernel”

He married a first lady

Before tying the knot with Mandela on his 80th birthday, Graça Machel was married to Mozambique President Samora Machel. Her marriage to Mandela after her husband’s death means she has been the first lady of two nations.

He lived up to his name

Mandela’s birth name was Rolihlahla. In his Xhosa tribe, the name means pulling the branch of a tree or troublemaker. The name “Nelson” was given to Mandela by his teacher on his first day of elementary school.

He became the subject of several tributes

Scientists have named a prehistoric woodpecker after him: Australopicus nelsonmandelai. In 1973, the physics institute at Leeds University named a nuclear particle the ‘Mandela particle.’

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