36 years ago today
Nelson Mandela Released After 27 Years in Prison
On February 11, 1990, Nelson Mandela walked out of Victor Verster Prison near Cape Town a free man after 27 years of imprisonment — 18 of them on Robben Island. The moment was watched live by hundreds of millions around the world. Mandela, then 71, appeared remarkably composed and magnanimous, immediately calling for reconciliation rather than revenge. His release had been negotiated with South African President F.W. de Klerk and marked the beginning of the end of apartheid. Just four years later Mandela would become the first democratically elected President of South Africa — the culmination of one of the most extraordinary political journeys of the 20th century.
On the record: Nelson Mandela
This day, across time
- 660 BCEEventJapan Founded — Emperor Jimmu Ascends the Throne
- 1534EventHenry VIII Declared Supreme Head of the Church of England
- 1650DiedRené Descartes
- 1812EventThe Word "Gerrymander" Is Born
- 1826EventUniversity College London Founded
- 1847BornThomas Edison
- 1858EventBernadette Soubirous Has Her Vision at Lourdes
- 1926BornLeslie Nielsen
- 1929EventThe Vatican Becomes a State
- 1936BornBurt Reynolds
- 1962BornSheryl Crow
- 1963DiedSylvia Plath
- 1969BornJennifer Aniston
- 1979EventThe Iranian Revolution Succeeds
- 1990FeaturedNelson Mandela Released After 27 Years in Prison
- 1990EventBuster Douglas Stuns the World, Knocking Out Mike Tyson
- 2010DiedAlexander McQueen
- 2012EventWhitney Houston Dies
Alive in 1990
OverlapSame years; not influence
Nelson Mandelaturned 72 this year
Deng Xiaopingturned 86 this year
Emmanuel Levinasturned 84 this year
Kofi Annanturned 52 this year
Margaret Thatcherturned 65 this year
Mother Teresaturned 80 this year
Ronald Reaganturned 79 this year
Steve Jobsturned 35 this year
Wangari Maathaiturned 50 this year
Step into the moment
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The Morning He Walked Free
Victor Verster Prison, near Paarl, Western Cape, South Africa
Nelson Mandela, February 11, 1990. A simulation set on this date. The figure doesn’t know how the day ends.
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Step into the sceneOn This Day in History
10 EventsJapan Founded — Emperor Jimmu Ascends the Throne
Japan's traditional founding date: according to the Nihon Shoki, Emperor Jimmu — the legendary first Emperor, great-great-great-grandson of the sun goddess Amaterasu — ascends to the throne at Kashihara, establishing the world's oldest continuous imperial dynasty.
Henry VIII Declared Supreme Head of the Church of England
The Convocation of Canterbury formally recognizes Henry VIII as the 'only supreme head on earth' of the Church of England — completing the break with Rome that was as much about politics and marital convenience as it was about theology.
The Word "Gerrymander" Is Born
Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry approves a bizarrely shaped state senate district designed to favor his party. A newspaper cartoonist draws it as a salamander-like creature and dubs it a 'Gerry-mander.' The word — and the practice — endure to this day.
University College London Founded
UCL is established as England's first university to admit students regardless of religion — opening higher education to Catholics, Jews, and Nonconformists excluded from Oxford and Cambridge. It also becomes the first British university to accept women on equal terms as men.
Bernadette Soubirous Has Her Vision at Lourdes
Fourteen-year-old Bernadette Soubirous experiences her first vision of a white-robed lady at the Massabielle grotto near Lourdes, France. The site becomes one of the most visited Catholic pilgrimage destinations on earth, attracting millions each year.
The Vatican Becomes a State
Italy and the Holy See sign the Lateran Treaty, creating Vatican City as an independent sovereign state — resolving the "Roman Question" that had kept popes as self-declared prisoners since Italian unification in 1870.
The Iranian Revolution Succeeds
Ayatollah Khomeini's followers complete their seizure of power as the last vestiges of the Shah's government collapse. Iran is declared an Islamic Republic — fundamentally reshaping Middle Eastern geopolitics and relations between the Islamic world and the West for generations.
Nelson Mandela Walks Free
After 27 years in prison, Nelson Mandela is released from Victor Verster Prison — the most watched moment in the history of South African television. The era of apartheid's dismantling has formally begun.
Buster Douglas Stuns the World, Knocking Out Mike Tyson
In what many call the greatest upset in boxing history, 42-to-1 underdog James 'Buster' Douglas knocks out an undefeated Mike Tyson in the 10th round in Tokyo, ending Tyson's reign as the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
Whitney Houston Dies
The most awarded female artist of all time, with a voice widely considered the greatest in pop history, Whitney Houston is found dead in a Beverly Hills hotel bathtub at age 48. Her rendition of 'I Will Always Love You' remains one of the best-selling singles in history.
Born on This Day
Thomas Edison
American Inventor
The most prolific inventor in American history, Edison held 1,093 US patents — including the phonograph, the practical incandescent light bulb, and the motion picture camera. His Menlo Park laboratory pioneered the concept of industrial research and development itself.
Jennifer Aniston
American Actress
One of the most famous faces in the history of television, Aniston's portrayal of Rachel Green in Friends (1994–2004) made her a global icon. She has since built an equally acclaimed film career and remains one of Hollywood's most bankable stars.
Sheryl Crow
American Singer-Songwriter
A nine-time Grammy winner whose career has spanned rock, country, and pop across three decades, Crow broke through with 'All I Wanna Do' (1993) and became one of the defining singer-songwriters of the 1990s with albums like Tuesday Night Music Club and The Globe Sessions.
Burt Reynolds
American Actor
The biggest box-office star in the world from 1978 to 1982, Reynolds brought a roguish, self-deprecating charisma to films like Smokey and the Bandit and Boogie Nights — the latter earning him an Academy Award nomination late in his career.
Leslie Nielsen
Canadian-American Actor & Comedian
A serious dramatic actor for the first 30 years of his career, Nielsen became a comedy legend after Airplane! (1980) and The Naked Gun series, pioneering the deadpan spoof genre with lines so absurd they became cultural touchstones.
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René Descartes
French Mathematician & Philosopher
The father of modern philosophy and the inventor of Cartesian geometry, Descartes' 'I think, therefore I am' is perhaps the most famous sentence in the history of philosophy. He died in Stockholm at age 53, having been persuaded to tutor Queen Christina of Sweden in the frozen early mornings.
Sylvia Plath
American Poet & Novelist
Author of The Bell Jar and the posthumously published Ariel, Plath is one of the most influential poets of the 20th century. She died by suicide in London at 30, having sealed her children's rooms to protect them from the gas oven she used. Her unflinching confessional poetry defined a generation.
Alexander McQueen
British Fashion Designer
One of the most visionary and controversial designers in fashion history, McQueen was known for theatrical runway shows and boundary-pushing designs that drew on history, nature, and the macabre. He took his own life at 40, days before his mother's funeral.
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