1976: In the Soweto uprising, police fire upon high school students who are protesting over being taught in Afrikaans language. Some 176 people are killed, including Hector Pieterson, a 13-year-old boy who became a symbol of resistance to apartheid brutality.
1977: Steve Biko, founder of the “black consciousness movement,” dies after torture in police custody.
1982: Nelson Mandela and other members of the ANC leadership are transferred to Pollsmoor Prison on South Africa's mainland.
1988: Mandela is moved to Victor Verster open prison in Paarl, near Cape Town, for negotiations with the apartheid government.
1989: Meets President P.W. Botha to discuss his release. Botha soon resigns office.
Feb. 9, 1990: President F.W. de Klerk announces the dismantling of apartheid and the unbanning of the ANC.
