5 Things You Didn’t Know About Nelson Mandela

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1.Despite a lifetime of political activism, Nelson Mandela voted for the first time in his life on April 27, 1994

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2.“Nelson” was the English name given to Mandela by a teacher on his first day of school. His birth name was Rolihlahla.

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3.In 1952 Mandela, along with Oliver Tambo, founded South Africa’s first black law firm.

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4.In addition to his political and humanitarian work, Mandela was also a conservationist. In 1997, along with HRH Prince Bernard of the Netherlands and Dr. Anton Rupert, Mandela founded the Peace Parks Foundation—an organization that works to establish protected areas that conserve animal migration routes.

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5.On October 4, 2001, Nelson Mandela opened the gate between Mozambique and South Africa to allow a truck transporting the first elephants translocated from South Africas Kruger National Park to cross the border into the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park.