Radical young members, including Nelson Mandela, take control of the ANC

Nelson Mandela leads a new armed section of the ANC (African National Congress), formed in response to Sharpeville

Nelson Mandela and the ANC adopt guerrilla tactics against the apartheid regime in South Africa

Nelson Mandela is sentenced to life imprisonment and is sent to a gaol on Robben Island

Nelson Mandela is given an ecstatic reception on his release after twenty-six years in prison on Robben Island, near Cape Town

Nelson Mandela and F.W. de Klerk are jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their partnership in South Africa

Nelson Mandela is sworn in as the first president of the new democratic South Africa

Nelson Mandela retires from active politics and is succeeded by Thabo Mbeki as South Africa's president

Nelson Mandela dies in Johannesburg, triggering a flood of admiring and affectionate tributes all round the world