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Alexander Graham Bell attempted to invent a machine that would transmit sound by electricity. Bell was given the first official patent for his telephone in March 1876, though he would later face years of legal challenges to his claim that he was its sole inventor
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Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918 in Transkei south Africa with the name Rolihlahla Mandela , to parents Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa and Noqaphi Nosekeni. Nelson Mandela's father was destined to be chief but only served as counselor to tribal chiefs for many years. unfortunately Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa lost both his title and fortune over a dispute with the local colonial magistrate. Mandela's mother Noqaphi Nosekeni was his fathers 4 wife. (www.biography.com)
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On December 7, after months of planning and practice, the Japanese launched their attack.
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Soon Mandela became actively involved in the anti-apartheid movement,joining the African National Congress in 1942.Within the ANC,a small group of young Africans came together,calling themselves the African National Congress Youth League.The goal was to change the ANC into a mass grassroots movement,strength from millions of rural peasants and working people who had no voice under the current regime. (www.biography.com)
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World War II which broke out two decades after world war I would prove even more devastating. Among the estimated 45-60 million people killed were 6 million Jews murdered in Nazi concentration camps. on September 2, 1945 world war II ended.
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For 20 years, Mandela directed peaceful, nonviolent acts against the South African government and its racist policies. In 1961, Nelson Mandela lead a three-day national workers' strike.. He was arrested for leading the strike the following year, and was sentenced to five years in prison.
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In 1963, Mandela was brought to trial again. This time, Mandela and 10 other ANC leaders were sentenced to life imprisonment for political offenses, including sabotage. Nelson Mandela was at Robben Island for 18 of his 27 years in prison. and spent the rest at pollsmoor prison.
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Jan. 28, 1986, when a booster engine failed, causing the Shuttle Challenger to break apart just 73 seconds after launch. NASA's space shuttle Challenger accident was a terrible tragedy that killed seven astronauts. Killed in the accident were Challenger commander Dick Scobee, pilot Michael Smith, mission specialists Judy Resnik, Ronald McNair and Ellison Onizuka, payload specialist Gregory Jarvis and Christa McAuliffe, who was set to become the first teacher in space. (www.space.com)
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Nelson Mandela's release was finally announced on February 11, 1990, by Frederik Willem de Klerk after president P.W. Botha suffered a stroke. although President P.W. Botha offered Mandela's release in exchange for renouncing armed struggle in 1985 . Mandela rejected the offer quickly.
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in 1993 Nelson Mandela and President de Klerk were both awarded the Nobel Peace Prize together for their work toward taking apart the apartheid.
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Nelson Mandela became the first black president of south Africa on 1994, serving until 1999. On April 27, 1994, South Africa held its first democratic elections. Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as the country's first black president on May 10, 1994, at the age of 77, with de Klerk as his first deputy. during Mandela's presidency, he worked on strengthening south Africa's economy from collapse. (www.biography.com)
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By the 1999 general election, Nelson Mandela retired from active politics. although he retired he continued to work on raising money to build schools and clinics in South Africa's rural land through his foundation. as well as serving as a mediator in Burundi's civil war
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in 2001 Nelson Mandela was diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer
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On September 11, 2001, 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four airliners and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States. Two of the planes were flown into the towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third plane hit the Pentagon just outside Washington, D.C., and the fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. (www.history.com)
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On November 4, 2008, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois was elected president of the United States over Senator John McCain of Arizona. Obama became the 44th president, and the first African American to be elected to that office. He was then later on elected to a second term over former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.
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On December 5, 2013, at the age of 95, Nelson Mandela died at his home in Johannesburg, South Africa.