Nelson Mandela, the first black president of South Africa and anti-apartheid hero, has died in a hospital at 95.

Jacob Zuma president of South Africa said:

“Our nation has lost its greatest son, what made Nelson Mandela great was precisely what made him human. We saw in him what we seek in ourselves. Fellow South Africans, Nelson Mandela brought us together, and it is together that we will bid him farewell.” (source)

Nelson Mandela

1918 – Born in the Eastern Cape

1943 – Joined African National Congress

1956 – Charged with high treason, but charges dropped after a four-year trial

1962 – Arrested, convicted of incitement and leaving country without a passport, sentenced to five years in prison

1964 – Charged with sabotage, sentenced to life

1990 – Freed from prison

1993 – Wins Nobel Peace Prize

1994 – Elected first black president

1999 – Steps down as leader

2001 – Diagnosed with prostate cancer

2004 – Retires from public life

2005 – Announces his son has died of an HIV/Aids-related illness