100 Fun Facts About Nelson Mandela

How many years did Mandela spend in prison?

He was held on Robben Island and then in two mainland prisons before his release in 1990.

What does Mandela's Xhosa forename, Rolihlahla, colloquially mean?

He got the English name Nelson from a teacher at his Methodist primary school.

By what clan name is Mandela affectionately known in South Africa?

Dalibunga was the name he received after his circumcision ritual at 16.

In which village was Mandela born on 18 July 1918?

He grew up in his mother's kraal in nearby Qunu, where he tended herds and later built a house.

To which royal family did Mandela belong?

His branch of the family was a 'Left-Hand House', ineligible for the throne but hereditary royal councillors.

How many wives did Mandela's father, Chief Gadla, have?

Nelson's mother Nosekeni Fanny was the third; Gadla had four sons and nine daughters.

After his father's death, Mandela was entrusted to the guardianship of which regent?

He was raised at the 'Great Place' at Mqhekezweni alongside the regent's own children.

Which two sports did Mandela pursue in his spare time at Healdtown college?

He kept a lifelong interest in boxing, and became a prefect in his second year.

At which elite black university did Mandela begin a BA in 1939 and befriend a future comrade of decades?

He was suspended after a students' council boycott over the food and never returned.

Why did Mandela and his cousin Justice flee to Johannesburg in 1941?

His first job was night watchman at Crown Mines, until the headman found out he was a runaway.

Which ANC activist and realtor got Mandela his first job as an articled clerk at a Johannesburg law firm?

Sisulu became a lifelong comrade; Mandela met his first wife Evelyn Mase at Sisulu's house.

On what day in 1944 was the ANC Youth League founded, with Mandela on its executive?

Anton Lembede was its first president; Mandela became national president in 1950.

How many times did Mandela fail his final year of law at Wits before being denied a degree?

He had devoted his time to politics; he finally got an LLB from the University of London while in prison.

How large was the Durban crowd Mandela addressed on 22 June 1952 to launch the Defiance Campaign?

ANC membership grew from 20,000 to 100,000 during the campaign.

Mandela's 1953 speech 'No Easy Walk to Freedom' took its title from a quote by whom?

The speech set out the M-Plan, a cell structure for the ANC in case it was banned.

With whom did Mandela open South Africa's only African-run law firm in August 1953?

Mandela and Tambo dealt with many police brutality cases until the Group Areas Act forced them out of their office.

The 1955 Freedom Charter, drafted by Rusty Bernstein, was adopted at a conference in which township?

Police forcibly closed the gathering; the charter called for a non-racial state and nationalisation of major industry.

Whom did Mandela marry in Bizana in June 1958?

A social worker, she later spent years in prison and banishment; they separated in 1992.

How did the Treason Trial, which began in 1956, end for Mandela in March 1961?

The judges found the ANC had advocated neither communism nor violent revolution; the verdict embarrassed the government.

How many protesters were killed by police at Sharpeville in 1960?

Mandela publicly burned his pass in solidarity; the government banned the ANC and PAC.

What nickname did the press give Mandela while he travelled incognito in 1961?

The reference was to Emma Orczy's 1905 novel The Scarlet Pimpernel.

What does Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed group Mandela co-founded in 1961, mean?

Inspired by Castro's 26th of July Movement, MK announced itself with 57 bombings on 16 December 1961.

Where in Rivonia did Mandela hide with MK comrades in 1961?

The July 1963 police raid there uncovered the papers that led to the Rivonia Trial.

Which emperor did Mandela meet in Addis Ababa in 1962 while touring Africa in secret?

He began a guerrilla warfare course in Ethiopia but was recalled after two months.

According to a former US diplomat, which agency tipped off South African police before Mandela's 1962 arrest?

Donald Rickard said the agency feared Mandela's communist associations; he was caught near Howick.

What did Mandela wear to disrupt his 1962 hearing in Pretoria?

He called no witnesses and turned his plea of mitigation into a political speech; he got five years.

How long was Mandela's 'I Am Prepared to Die' speech at the Rivonia Trial?

Inspired by Castro's 'History Will Absolve Me', it was polished by Nadine Gordimer and Anthony Sampson.

What punishment did the prosecution seek at the Rivonia Trial before the judge imposed life?

Mandela and two co-accused were found guilty on all four charges on 12 June 1964.

How big was Mandela's cell on Robben Island?

He slept on a straw mat and, from 1965, broke rocks in a lime quarry whose glare damaged his eyesight.

As a Class D prisoner, how often was Mandela initially allowed a visit and a letter?

All mail was heavily censored; he studied Afrikaans to win over the warders.

Which liberal Progressive Party MP championed Mandela's cause after visiting him on Robben Island?

He also met Labour's Denis Healey in 1970; Justice Minister Jimmy Kruger's 1974 visit went badly.

What happened when prison authorities discovered pages of the autobiography Mandela began in 1975?

The manuscript had been smuggled to London and became the basis of Long Walk to Freedom.

Which journalist coined the slogan 'Free Mandela!' in March 1980?

It sparked an international campaign that led the UN Security Council to call for his release.

To which Cape Town prison was Mandela transferred in April 1982?

He got on well with the commanding officer and was allowed to create a roof garden.

On what condition did P. W. Botha offer Mandela release in February 1985?

Mandela refused via his daughter Zindzi: 'Only free men can negotiate.'

Which Minister of Justice held secret talks with Mandela from 1987?

They met a dozen times over three years, leading to formal talks with a government team in 1988.

How many viewers were estimated to have watched the 1988 Wembley concert for Mandela's 70th birthday?

That same year ANC leaders told him Winnie's 'Mandela United Football Club' had been torturing and killing opponents in Soweto.

On what date did Mandela walk out of Victor Verster Prison a free man?

He held Winnie's hand before the crowds and spoke that day from Cape Town's City Hall.

Which state president legalised the ANC and announced Mandela's release?

He had replaced Botha as party leader after the latter's 1989 stroke; the two men shared the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize.

Per testimony at Wouter Basson's trial, with what poison did Project Coast plan to dose Mandela before his release?

The aim was to damage his mental capacities.

What percentage of the vote did the ANC win in the April 1994 election?

Just short of the two-thirds needed to change the constitution alone; Mandela voted at Ohlange High School in Durban.

To what did Mandela urge the voting age be lowered before the 1994 election, a proposal the ANC rejected?

The idea became the subject of ridicule.

How many people were estimated to have watched Mandela's inauguration on 10 May 1994?

Four thousand guests attended in Pretoria; de Klerk and Thabo Mbeki became his deputy presidents.

To which Springbok captain did Mandela present the 1995 Rugby World Cup, wearing a Springbok shirt?

De Klerk said Mandela 'won the hearts of millions of white rugby fans' that day.

Whom did Mandela appoint to chair the Truth and Reconciliation Commission?

It granted individual amnesties in exchange for testimony and reported in October 1998.

What did Mandela rename Westbrooke manor, the Cape Town residence he settled into as president?

It means 'Valley of Mercy' in Afrikaans; he let de Klerk keep Groote Schuur.

What fraction of his presidential salary did Mandela donate to the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund?

His annual income was R552,000; he lived simply and made his own bed even as president.

Which American journalist's interviews helped shape Mandela's 1994 autobiography Long Walk to Freedom?

The book grew from the manuscript he had written in prison in the 1970s.

Whom did Mandela marry on his 80th birthday in July 1998?

The widow of Mozambique's president Samora Machel, she was 27 years his junior; Tutu urged him to set an example by marrying.

Mandela brokered a deal for the two Libyan Lockerbie suspects to be tried where?

The 1999 trial convicted one of the two; he later visited Megrahi in Barlinnie prison.

Whom did Mandela hope would succeed him as ANC president in 1997, though the party chose Thabo Mbeki?

He thought Mbeki too inflexible; Ramaphosa had led the ANC's CODESA delegation.

How many minutes does the UN's Mandela Day ask people to give to helping others, and why?

The UN General Assembly proclaimed 18 July Mandela Day in November 2009.

Until what year did Mandela remain on the US terrorism watchlist?

The State and Defense departments had designated the ANC a terrorist organisation in the 1980s.

How old was Mandela when he died at his Houghton home on 5 December 2013?

His state funeral was held in Qunu; the 'Mandela effect' is named for a widespread false memory that he died in prison in the 1980s.

Who gave Mandela the English forename 'Nelson'?

He was given the name on his first day at a local Methodist school, which he started at about age seven; his birth name was Rolihlahla.

Who was Mandela's first wife, a trainee nurse he met at Walter Sisulu's house?

They married in October 1944 and had four children; the marriage broke down in the mid-1950s and Evelyn left, taking the children to her brother's home.

At which Johannesburg venue was Mandela's memorial service held on 10 December 2013?

President Zuma declared ten days of mourning; the state funeral itself was held on 15 December in the village of Qunu.

Mandela was the first living person to be made an honorary citizen of which country?

He was also appointed to the Order of Canada, among more than 250 honours that included India's Bharat Ratna and the Soviet Lenin Peace Prize.

Which country's peace award did Mandela initially refuse in 1992, accepting it only in 1999?

He cited human rights violations in Turkey at the time when he first declined the Atatürk Peace Award.

What was the title of Mandela's unfinished autobiography sequel, published posthumously in 2017?

He began it after retiring in June 1999, but found seclusion difficult and soon returned to a busy public schedule.

What prisoner number, now used as a tribute, was Mandela given on Robben Island in 1964?

He was the 466th prisoner to arrive that year. The number later named his HIV/AIDS campaign and a song Bono co-wrote with Joe Strummer.

The 'Mandela effect' is named after a widespread false memory that Mandela did what?

Paranormal writer Fiona Broome coined the term after finding hundreds of people shared her vivid memory of news reports of his death. One explanation is confusion with Steve Biko, who did die in custody in 1977.

Who played Mandela in the 2013 film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom?

Mandela's death was announced during the film's London royal premiere, and the producer took the stage during the closing credits to tell the audience.

Who directed Invictus, the 2009 film about Mandela and the 1995 Rugby World Cup?

The title comes from a William Ernest Henley poem Mandela drew strength from in prison. The final was shot at Ellis Park, the real 1995 venue.

Which actor portrayed Mandela in Invictus?

He was the first actor cast and earned a Best Actor nomination. Matt Damon, playing the Springbok captain, was coached by 1995 winger Chester Williams.

What scandal overshadowed the speeches at Mandela's December 2013 memorial service?

Thamsanqa Jantjie stood beside world leaders making meaningless gestures, then blamed a schizophrenic episode. Deaf groups called it a mockery of South African sign language.

The UN's 2015 'Mandela Rules' set minimum standards for the treatment of whom?

The 122 rules updated standards first adopted in 1955. The UN also extended Mandela Day to promote humane prison conditions.

At which event did Mandela make his final public appearance?

He had personally lobbied for South Africa to host the tournament, calling it one of the best possible gifts a decade after apartheid ended.

In 2005, Mandela publicly announced that which disease had killed his son Makgatho?

He made the announcement to defy the stigma around the illness, having admitted he neglected the epidemic as president.

Robben Island takes its name from an archaic Dutch word for which animal?

Before it was a prison the island served as a leper colony, a livestock pen and a whaling station. Its rabbits, released in 1654 as ship provisions, now number in the tens of thousands.

Which group of world leaders did Mandela unveil in a speech on his 89th birthday?

He convened the group with Graça Machel and Desmond Tutu to lend independent leadership to the world's toughest problems.

Whose handshake with Barack Obama at Mandela's memorial drew criticism in Washington?

It was the first such encounter between sitting US and Cuban leaders since 2000. John McCain compared it to Chamberlain shaking hands with Hitler.

Which language did Mandela study in prison hoping to win over his warders?

He also studied Islam while attending Christian services, and ran a 'University of Robben Island' where inmates lectured each other.

Work in which part of Robben Island permanently damaged Mandela's eyesight?

He was forbidden sunglasses against the glare. Prisoners were moved there in January 1965 after months breaking rocks into gravel.

Where was Mandela's state funeral held on 15 December 2013?

About 4,500 people gathered in a giant tent in the village where he grew up. Broadcasting stopped before the burial at the family's request.

In which year did South African banknotes bearing Mandela's face first enter circulation?

A centenary series in 2018 swapped the Big Five on the reverse for scenes from his life, including the hills around his birthplace on the R10.

What phrase did the 85-year-old Mandela use in 2004 when withdrawing from public life?

He added 'Don't call me, I will call you.' His foundation then turned down most invitations and interview requests on his behalf.

Which daughter read out Mandela's 1985 rejection of a conditional release offer?

Neither parent could deliver it, as her mother was banished to Brandfort. She later served as stand-in First Lady and as ambassador to Denmark.

Who delivered the first Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture in 2003?

Later speakers have included Thomas Piketty, Bill Gates and, in the 2018 centenary year, Barack Obama.

Whom did Mandela mockingly call the 'American foreign minister' over the 2003 Iraq war?

He called the planned invasion 'a tragedy' and accused George W. Bush of wanting only Iraqi oil, though the two later patched things up.

Which domestic habit did Mandela reportedly keep up even as president?

He neither drank nor smoked, yet changed clothes several times a day and was said to carry himself in a regal manner.

Which neighbouring leader did Mandela publicly urge to step down in 2007?

Private appeals had failed first. A decade later Mugabe attacked Mandela's legacy and the Mandela Foundation told him to stick to facts.

Which state president surprised Mandela with an invitation to tea in July 1989?

The man who had called him an 'arch-Marxist' was out of office six weeks later, replaced by the president who would free him.

For which groups did Mandela's government introduce free healthcare in 1994?

The scheme was widened in 1996 to everyone using primary public clinics. His government also equalised pensions and grants across racial groups.

Under what alias did Mandela pose as a gardener and cook at the MK hideout in Rivonia?

He was arrested elsewhere in August 1962 without the farm being discovered; police only raided it eleven months later.

Who was the chief prosecutor at the Rivonia Trial?

He claimed MK's planned munitions could blow up a city the size of Johannesburg. As president, Mandela made a point of meeting him personally as a gesture of reconciliation.

Which words did Mandela add to his Rivonia speech's last line to placate his lawyers?

His lawyers feared that declaring himself prepared to die would invite exactly that sentence from the judge.

Who was the last surviving Rivonia Trial defendant, dying in July 2020?

He was Accused No. 10 and the last to testify. Goldberg, the other survivor featured in the 2017 documentary Life is Wonderful, had died that April.

Which two Johannesburg districts does the Nelson Mandela Bridge link?

Built over 42 railway lines without stopping the trains, it was Southern Africa's longest suspension bridge for 21 years and is lit in rainbow colours at night.

Whose batik attire reportedly inspired Mandela's request for what became the Madiba shirt?

Designer Desré Buirski got one to him via a bodyguard at a Cape Town synagogue in May 1994, and he wore it to his inauguration dress rehearsal.

A nine-metre bronze Mandela was unveiled in Pretoria on which public holiday in 2013?

Its open-armed pose broke with the raised-fist convention of earlier statues. It stands where a statue of prime minister J. B. M. Hertzog had been.

Which South African trumpeter recorded 'Bring Him Back Home (Nelson Mandela)'?

Alongside The Specials' hit and 'Asimbonanga', the song helped make a jailed man the world's most famous political prisoner.

Which Hollywood actor opened the London concert for Mandela's 90th birthday in 2008?

He appeared with Jada Pinkett Smith and later performed 'Switch'. A promised surprise guest, rumoured to be the Spice Girls, never materialised.

What name was Mandela given after undergoing the ulwaluko initiation ritual at 16?

He went through the rite at Tyhalarha with his cousin Justice, the same cousin he would later flee to Johannesburg with.

On what obsolete audio format were nearly 250 hours of the Rivonia Trial recorded?

A French engineer spent 15 months digitising 230 hours with his own invention, the Archeophone; the recordings came home to South Africa in 2018.

Mandela's 2005 'Arctic' benefit concert was staged in which Norwegian city?

Robert Plant, Peter Gabriel and Annie Lennox played above the Arctic Circle. Earlier legs had visited George, South Africa and Madrid.

What did sculptors secretly hide in the right ear of Mandela's Union Buildings statue?

The artists said it stood in for a signature and nodded to how quickly the job was done: 'haas' means both rabbit and quickly in Afrikaans. It was removed after an outcry.

Which leader gave Mandela £5,000 for weapons during his secret 1962 tour of Africa?

The Tunisian president's gift came after a stop in Cairo. Mandela then began guerrilla training in Ethiopia but was recalled after two months.

Why did Rivonia co-accused Denis Goldberg serve his sentence apart from the other men?

Apartheid segregated even its political prisoners. On hearing the verdict was life rather than death, Goldberg told his mother, 'Life is wonderful.'

A concert marking the first Mandela Day in July 2009 was held at which New York venue?

That first celebration fell on his 91st birthday; the UN only made 18 July an official international day that November.