| 1918 | July 18. Nelson Mandela is born in Mvezo, a small village in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. |
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| 1939 | Mandela begins attending the University of Fort Hare, but is forced to leave after participating in a student strike. |
| 1941 | Mandela moves to Johannesburg and completes his bachelor’s degree by correspondence. |
| 1942 | Mandela joins the African National Congress (ANC). |
| 1944 | Mandela helps found the ANC Youth League. |
| 1952 | Mandela becomes a lawyer and opens a law firm with Oliver Tambo. |
| 1955 | Mandela participates in the Congress of the People and helps draft the Freedom Charter, which calls for a non-racial democratic South Africa. |
| 1956 | Mandela and over 150 other activists are arrested and charged with high treason, but are eventually acquitted. |
| 1960 | The ANC is banned by the South African government. |
| 1962 | Mandela is arrested and sentenced to five years in prison for leaving the country without permission and inciting a strike.
While in prison, Mandela is charged with sabotage and sentenced to life in prison. |
| 1982 | Mandela is transferred from Robben Island to Pollsmoor Prison in Cape Town. |
| 1985 | International pressure on the South African government to end apartheid increases. |
| 1990 | Feb 11. Mandela is released from prison after 27 years. Mandela becomes the leader of the ANC and begins negotiations with the government to end apartheid. |
| 1993 | Mandela and South African President F.W. de Klerk are awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their work to end apartheid. |
| 1994 | Apr 27. The first multi-racial elections in South Africa are held, and Mandela is elected as the country’s first black president. Mandela introduces a number of reforms aimed at ending discrimination and promoting reconciliation between different racial groups. |
| 1999 | Mandela steps down as president and is succeeded by Thabo Mbeki. |
| 2013 | Dec 5. Mandela dies at the age of 95. |