18 Mind-Blowing Facts You Didn't Know About Nelson Mandela

17. Mandela Was A Master Of Disguise... And Was Nicknamed "The Black Pimpernel" By The South African Press

One little-known fact about Mandela's adult life as an activist is that he became extremely proficient at disguising himself - and even gained the nickname "The Black Pimpernel". A reference to Emma Orczy's 1905 novel "The Scarlet Pimpernel", the police put out a warrant for Mandela's arrest as he travelled around apartheid South Africa disguised as a chauffeur, organising the ANC's latest cell structure - as well as orchestrating a mass stay-at-home strike in May 1961. Mandela also disguised himself in many other ways - including as a chef and as a fieldworker - in order to evade police, explaining his tactics in his autobiography "Long Walk To Freedom" as such:

"I became a creature of the night. I would keep my hideout during the day and would emerge to do my work when it became dark."