31 years ago today, May 9, 1994 (March 29, 1994 in the lunar calendar), Mandela was elected President of South Africa. Nelson Rolihlahlahla Mandela was born on July 18, 1918 in a family of great chiefs in the Trankei, South Africa. He successively obtained a Bachelor of Arts from the University of South Africa and a lawyer at the University of Witwatersrand, and worked as a lawyer. He served as National Secretary and Chairman of the ANC Youth League. ANC Executive Committee, Transvaal Provincial Chairman, National Vice Chairman. He successfully organized and led the "Movement to Disregard Unjust Acts" and won the respect of all blacks. He served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. Mandela served 27 years in prison and won more than 100 awards during his 40-year political career, the most prominent of which was the 1993 Noble-Bell-Er-Peace-Ping-Prize. South Africa's first black president (term: 1994 - 1999), was honored as the father of South Africa. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, into a family of tribal chiefs in Transkei, South Africa. He entered Fort Hale College in 1938 and later studied at the University of Witwatersrand, receiving a bachelor of law degree. Practised as a lawyer in Johannesburg from 1952 to 1956. Mandela had a strong character since childhood and respected national heroes. He was the eldest son of the family and was designated heir to the chief. However, he said that for this reason, South African authorities had twice issued bans prohibiting him from participating in public gatherings. In 1961, he led a strike movement to protest and boycott the founding of the "Republic of South Africa" by white racists; since then, he turned into underground armed struggle and was appointed commander-in-chief of the ANC-led military organization "Spear of the Nation". He has secretly traveled abroad and attended the Pan-African Freedom Movement conference in Addis Ababa, calling for economic sanctions against South Africa. In June 1961, Mandela founded the ANC military organization "Spear of the Nation" and served as commander-in-chief. In August 1962, Mandela was arrested and imprisoned when he was only 43 years old. The South African government sentenced him to five years in prison for "incitement" and "illegal border crossing". In June 1964, he was again charged with "attempting to overthrow the government by violence" and was commuted to life imprisonment. For 27 years in prison, he was persecuted and tortured, but he never changed his strong belief in opposing racism and building an equal and free new South Africa. In 1983 and 1985, Mandela was awarded the "Simon Bolívar International Award" by UNESCO and the "Third World Award" by the Third World Social and Economic Research Foundation. On February 11, 1990, under pressure from domestic and foreign public opinion, the South African authorities were forced to announce the unconditional release of Mandela. In March of the same year, he was appointed as vice chairman and acting chairman by the ANC National Executive Committee, and was elected chairman in July 1991. In April 1994, the ANC won South Africa's first non-racial general election. On May 9 of the same year, Mandela became South Africa's first black president. In December 1997, Mandela resigned as chairman of the ANC and said he would no longer participate in the June 1999 presidential election. Officially resigned in June 1999. After leaving office, Mandela was still making unremitting efforts for world peace and human dignity. He vigorously opened schools and invested a lot of energy in South Africa's fight against AIDS. His main works include: "The Road to Freedom Will Not Be Smooth","Struggle Is Life","Declaration for World Freedom", and autobiography "The Long Road to Freedom".