NELSON MANDELA 10 INTERESTING FACTS

A hero of South Africa and an inspiring idol to the world. He is Nelson Mandela, a fighter that fought for the right of his people and towards humanism. Here are 10 facts of the life of his legendary life:

Lived up to his name
His first name is Rolihlahla which means pulling the branch of a tree or troublemaker which what is shown towards his fights towards apartheid. Nelson was a name that is given to him by his teacher in his primary school to enable colonial masters to pronounce them easily.

Cameo in Malcom X.
Mandela plays a teacher reciting Malcoml X's famous speech to a room full with Soweto school kids at the end of the movie directed by Spike Lee in 1992.


A bird is name after him
Scientists have named a prehistoric woodpecker with Australopicus nelsonmandelai found in 2012. Before that Leeds University physics institute have already named a nuclear particle as 'Mandela particle' in 1973.


Married to a first lady.
His wife, Graca Marchel was a widow of Mozambique President Samora Machel. This means that she has been a first lady of two nations consecutively after her husband passing.


A Masters of Disguise
In his biography, " Long Walk to Freedom", Mandela reveals how he eluding authorities by disguising himself in various way including chauffeur and even media named him as "the Black Pimpernal" due to his evasion tactics.

Dislike Bloody Sport
Mandela have a big passion of boxing because of the science beneath it, but uncomfortable with its violence.

Have a Rare Favorite Dish
His favorite dish is the stomach lining of farm animals called a tripe.



Once a Lawyer
He was a graduates from University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg and pioneering the nation's first black law firm in 1952.

Was in a list of US terror watch
His fights against apartheid with the members of African National Congress make him eligible to be placed in US terror watch list. He was removed from the list in 2008, in the aged of 89 years old.

Poem as his medium to inspire
During his time in prisons, Mandela always read a poem entitled 'Invictus' by William Ernest Henley to his fellow prisoners to inspire them about never giving up. A line " I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul" in a way resonated with the life of Mandela.

There is the 10 facts that you may not know about a legends which sets an example for a new era to rise and seeks for freedom. RIP.
Originally written by CNN