Welcome to Bedtime History. Hello, this is Breck.

If you enjoy the show, be sure to subscribe to be notified about new episodes,

and to get our entire catalog of episodes ad-free, you can subscribe via Apple Podcasts. Also be sure to check out

our 400-plus educational videos on our YouTube channel. We also have a new show called

Bedtime Safari, so look for the link in the show notes of our most recent episodes.

Imagine a bright, sunny day in April 1994.

A long line of people stands quietly outside a school in South Africa.

They are dressed in their best clothes.

Some have walked for miles just to be here.

For the first time in their lives, they are allowed to vote. An old woman

leans on her cane. She is smiling through her tears. I never thought I'd see this day,

she whispers. Then a car pulls up and the crowd cheers. It's Nelson Mandela. He steps out slowly

with a calm, proud face. Cameras click all around

him. He walks into the voting station and marks his ballot. It's the first time he has ever

voted. A man who was once locked in prison is now choosing the leaders of his country. When he

walks out, the people cheer again, louder than before, some

sing, some cry. It feels like a new world has just begun. Nelson Mandela was born on July

18, 1918, in a small village in South Africa called Mavezo. His father was a chief in their village.

Nelson's real name was Rolehlala,

which means troublemaker in his language. A teacher gave him the name Nelson on his first

day of school. At that time in South Africa, it was common for black children to be given

English names in school. Nelson grew up in the countryside.

...