July 18, 2018

On July 18, 1918, 100 years ago today, activist and politician Nelson Mandela was born in the Transkei territory (now the Eastern Cape province) of South Africa. Mandela, the first black president of South Africa, was instrumental in ending apartheid, a policy of strict racial segregation, and he helped unify a very fragmented nation. His efforts earned him international admiration and a Nobel Peace Prize. Mandela is remembered as the father—or tata—of modern South Africa, where July 18th is celebrated annually as Mandela Day. Commonly called by his clan name, Madiba, Mandela died on Dec. 5, 2013, at age 95.

Nelson Mandela was the first black president of South Africa. He was born 100 years ago today on July 18, 1918. Credit: © AP Photo

To honor Mandela on what would have been his 100th birthday, South Africa issued a special set of bank notes and gold coins depicting Mandela’s upbringing in rural Eastern Cape; his 27-year incarceration; and the end of apartheid. Yesterday, on July 17, 2018, former United States President Barack Obama delivered a Mandela Day speech before 15,000 people in Johannesburg, South Africa’s largest city. The United Nations is sponsoring centenary events for its Nelson Mandela International Day and hosting a “Building on the Legacy of Nelson Mandela” exhibit at its headquarters in New York City. The Nelson Mandela Foundation is dedicating this year’s anniversary to Action Against Poverty, an independent development organization that helps poverty-stricken people in northeastern Africa.

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South Africa
Credit: WORLD BOOK map

Mandela had a long history of protesting against apartheid, and he paid a heavy price for it. In 1962, he was imprisoned on charges of conspiring to overthrow the white minority government. While in prison, Mandela became a global symbol of the struggle for racial justice. After his release in 1990, he led negotiations with white leaders that eventually brought an end to apartheid and established a nonracial system of government. From 1991 to 1997, Mandela served as president of the African National Congress (ANC), a group that helped win political and civil rights for the country’s blacks.

This illustration is from Nelson Mandela, a picture book biography by African American illustrator and author Nelson Kadir. Credit: © Kadir Nelson, Harper Collins

Mandela and then-President Frederik Willem de Klerk of South Africa shared the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize. They were honored for their work to end apartheid and to enable the country’s nonwhites to fully participate in the South African government. In 1994, South Africa held its first elections in which people of all races could vote. Blacks won a majority of the seats in a new National Assembly, and the Assembly selected Mandela to be president. The election marked the beginning of a new era in South Africa. Mandela served as president until 1999, when he retired from public service.

February 16, 2018

Today, the northeastern European country of Lithuania celebrates the centennial of its declaration of independence on Feb. 16, 1918. Lithuania lies on the Baltic Sea, south of Latvia and Estonia. Lithuania shares parts of its borders with Poland and Russia—neighbors who have dominated much of Lithuania’s history. Centuries ago (from the late 1100′s until 1386), Lithuania was an independent nation, so the 1918 event was actually a restoration of Lithuanian independence. The restoration was brief and precarious, however, and the independent nation disappeared from world maps in 1940. Lithuania regained its independence in 1991.

Credit: Office of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania

Today at 12:30 p.m. Lithuanian time, the nationwide ringing of bells officially begins centennial events that include art and food festivals, history-themed marches, a special Mass at Vilnius Cathedral, and grand concerts at Vilnius’s Cathedral Square and the National Opera and Ballet Theatre. In the evening, 100 bonfires will light the way along the city’s main street, Gediminas Avenue. Vilnius is Lithuania’s capital and largest city, and many buildings and streets are decorated to appear as they did 100 years ago in 1918.

Lithuanian flag Credit: © Photo Roman/Shutterstock

Centennial celebrations will take place throughout the country, and other events will take place throughout the year. This summer’s highlight is a centenary edition of Lithuania’s famous Song Festival, a cultural and musical celebration recognized by UNESCO on the Intangible Cultural Heritage List. UNESCO is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN). Its full name is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

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Lithuania. Credit: WORLD BOOK map

The Lithuanian peoples first united into a single nation in the late 1100′s. From the late 1300′s until the 1700′s, Lithuania was united with Poland. Russia ruled the country from the late 1700′s until 1918, when Lithuania declared independence. Immediately, the fledgling republic had to fight Russians and then Poles (who were also fighting each other) for control of the country. Lithuania remained independent, but Poland controlled Vilnius from 1920 until 1939. That year, Nazi Germany seized part of Lithuania. Later in 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union signed a secret pact that divided parts of Europe between them. In 1940, the Soviet Union forced Lithuania to become a Soviet republic. Lithuania was fought over again during World War II (1939-1945), after which it remained a part of the Soviet Union for nearly 50 years. Many Lithuanians resisted Soviet rule, however, and on March 11, 1990, the small nation declared independence once again. That act was part of a series of events that resulted in the Soviet Union’s dissolution—and a free Lithuania—in 1991.

Since then, Lithuania has grown culturally and economically while forging close ties with western Europe. In 2004, Lithuania joined both the European Union (EU), which promotes economic and political cooperation, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a defense alliance.

March 31, 2017

Today, March 31, people in the U.S. Virgin Islands celebrate the 100^th anniversary of Transfer Day—the day the territory became part of the United States. On March 31, 1917, the United States paid Denmark $25 million (equal to about $475 million today) for the Caribbean Island group, which was then known as the Danish West Indies. The U.S. Virgin Islands lie east of Puerto Rico and west of the British Virgin Islands. St. Croix, St. John, and St. Thomas islands, as well as many nearby islets, make up the U.S. Virgin Islands. In Charlotte Amalie, the territory’s capital and largest city, a number of events—including concerts, cultural exhibitions, festivals, and parades—began marking the centenary earlier in 2017. Transfer Day is an annual holiday in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The city of Charlotte Amalie, on St. Thomas, is the capital of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Ocean liners, like the one shown in the distance, transport many tourists to the islands each year. Credit: © Steve Simonsen

The explorer Christopher Columbus sighted the Virgin Islands in 1493. Their fresh beauty and untouched appearance charmed him. Columbus named them the Virgin Islands in honor of Saint Ursula, a Christian martyr of the A.D. 300′s or 400′s. Columbus claimed the islands for Spain, but the Spanish did not settle there. About 1672, Denmark established a permanent settlement on St. Thomas. The Danes took possession of St. John in 1717 and bought St. Croix from France in 1733. Danish colonists developed a profitable sugar industry that supported the islands’ growth.

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The U.S. Virgin Islands flag, at left, adopted in 1917, has a golden eagle with an olive branch in one claw and three arrows in the right claw on a white background. A yellow breast, the official bird of the islands, perched on the branch of a yellow cedar, the official tree, appears on the seal, at right, adopted in 1991. The three major islands of the U.S. Virgin Islands—St. Croix, St. John, and St. Thomas—are also represented on the seal. Credit: WORLD BOOK illustrations

The United States, wanting to secure a deepwater port in the Caribbean Sea, first tried to buy the Danish West Indies in 1867. U.S. Secretary of State William Seward—famous for the purchase of Alaska—led the effort to acquire the island group, but a number of events delayed the territorial transfer. Finally, in 1917, as the United States was about to enter World War I (1914-1918), the importance of purchasing the Danish West Indies outweighed other concerns. U.S. Secretary of State Robert Lansing concluded the $25-million deal with Danish Minister Constantin Brun. After the formal transfer at 4 o’clock in the afternoon on March 31, the Danish West Indies became the U.S. Virgin Islands. Today, the warm climate, beautiful scenery, and vibrant Caribbean culture make the islands a popular travel destination.

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This $25-million dollar check was used to purchase the U.S. Virgin Islands from Denmark on March 31, 1917. Credit: National Archives

Like their neighbors in Puerto Rico, Virgin Islanders are U.S. citizens, but they cannot vote in presidential elections. Unlike in Puerto Rico (or anywhere else in the United States), however, cars in the Virgin Islands drive on the left side of the road—a fairly common thing in the Caribbean but a source of confusion to some visitors from the U.S. mainland. The Virgin Islands are home to a variety of wildlife, including native bats and a rare tree boa (an endangered species of snake). Lizards live throughout the islands, as do a variety of amphibians, birds, crustaceans, and insects. Speedy mongooses (brought to the islands to control rats and other pests) are a fairly common sight, as are wild deer, donkeys, and goats.