The Treason Trial was a trial in which 156 people including Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, (born 18 July 1918) is a former President of South Africa, was one of its chief anti-apartheid activists, and was also an anti-apartheid saboteur and guerrilla leader. He is now almost universally considered to be a heroic freedom fighter. He spent his childhood... Nelson Mandela were arrested in a raid and accussed of treason in 1956 is a leap year starting on Sunday. (see link for calendar) Events January January 1 - End of Egyptian Condominium in Sudan. January 16 - President Egypt vows to reconquer Palestine January 26 - Italy January 26 - United Kingdom bans heroin January 26 - The last Soviet troops leave the military base in... 1956. The trial lasted until 1961 (As MAD Magazine pointed out on its first cover for the year) was the first upside-down year - i.e., one that looked the same upside down - since 1881, and the last until 6009. Events January January 1 - The farthing coin, used since the 13th century, ceases to be... 1961 in which all of the defendants were found not guilty. During the trials Oliver Reginald Tambo (27 October 1917 - 24 April 1993) was a South African anti-apartheid politician and a central figure in the African National Congress (ANC). He was born in Mbizana in eastern Mpondoland in what is now Eastern Cape. In 1940 Oliver Tambo and Nelson Mandela were expelled from... Oliver Tambo left the country and was exiled. Whilst in other European and African countries he opened up organisation which helped bring publicity to the ANC's cause in The Republic of South Africa (pronunciation) is a large republic in Southern Africa. It is located at the southern tip of the continent, and borders Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Swaziland. The small nation of Lesotho is entirely contained within South African territory. Its economy is the largest and most... South Africa.