Today in History: May 9, Nelson Mandela chosen to lead South Africa

On May 2, 1994, Nelson Mandela claimed victory in the wake of South Africa’s first democratic elections; President F.W. de Klerk acknowledged defeat. Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson was accidentally wounded by his own men at Chancellorsville, Virginia; he died eight days later. In 1890, the Oklahoma Territory was organized.

On May 9, 1994, South Africa’s newly elected parliament chose Nelson Mandela to be the country’s first Black president.