18 July 1918
Rolihlahla Mandela is born in a small South African village called Mvezo.
1925
Mandela becomes the first person in his family to go to school. A teacher gives him the name Nelson after having difficulty pronouncing his real name.
1937
Having passed his Junior Certificate in two years at Clarkebury Boarding Institute Mandela joins Healdtown, a college in Fort Beaufort.
1941
Mandela flees to Johannesburg, to avoid an arranged marriage. There he meets Walter Sisulu and begins work at his law firm.
1944
Two years after joining the African National Congress (ANC), Mandela and 60 other young members form the ANC Youth League.
1948
The National Party comes to power on the policy of apartheid. The ANC launch a campaign of passive resistance against the laws. They later begin the Campaign for the Defence of Unjust Laws.
1952
Mandela sets up the country's first black law firm with Oliver Tambo. They provide legal services to those who would have normally had no representation.
1953
The ANC is concerned that it will be banned so Mandela is tasked with ensuring the party can work underground.
1956
Along with 155 others, Mandela is arrested and charged with treason. After a four-year trial, the charges are dropped.
21 March 1960
Police kill 69 people, including women and children, as black people protest in Sharpeville against restrictions on their freedom of movement. A state of emergency is declared, amid fears of retaliation, and the ANC is banned.
1961
The ANC concludes that peaceful protest is not enough to combat apartheid and forms an underground military wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation). Mandela, now vice-president of the ANC, is appointed as the group's first leader.
1962
Having spent a year underground, Mandela is arrested for leaving the country illegally. He is sentenced to five years in jail.
1963
While Mandela is in prison, fellow ANC members are arrested. They are charged with sabotage and treason, along with Mandela. The men appear in court in Rivonia.
12 June 1964
At the end of the eight-month trial, Mandela and seven other defendants are given life sentences and taken to prison on Robben Island.
March 1982
Mandela and fellow ANC leaders are transferred to Pollsmoor Prison.
11 February 1990
Mandela is freed after 27 years, as a result of a relaxation of apartheid laws and the lifting of the ban on the ANC. He is greeted by large crowds as he and wife Winnie leave the prison grounds.
Nelson Mandela on his 'walk to freedom'
1991
At the ANC's first national conference in South Africa, Mandela is elected president of the party.
Nelson Mandela jokes as he announces his retirement
2004
Announcing his retirement from public life, Mandela says he plans to enjoy a quieter life and spend more time with his family.
Joking with reporters, he says: "The appeal therefore is - don't call me, I'll call you."
2007
Despite his retirement, Mandela forms The Elders. The group, which includes Archbishop Desmond Tutu and other statesmen and women, aims to help tackle the world's problems.
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