Fun Facts About Desmond Tutu
- Desmond Tutu wanted to be a doctor: he won admission to study medicine, but his parents could not afford the fees, so he trained as a teacher instead.[1]
- Nelson Mandela spent his first night of freedom in 1990 at Tutu's official residence, Bishopscourt in Cape Town.[1][3][4]
- Tutu popularized the phrase "Rainbow Nation" for post-apartheid South Africa, having first described a multiracial protest crowd as the "rainbow people of God" in 1989.[1]
- Tutu once criticized Nelson Mandela's brightly colored Madiba shirts as inappropriate; Mandela joked that this was ironic coming from a man who wore dresses.[1][3][4]
- As a schoolboy, Tutu earned money by selling oranges and working as a caddie for white golfers.[1]
- At his own request, Tutu was laid in a plain pine coffin, the cheapest available, to avoid any ostentatious display, and his remains were aquamated.[1]
- Desmond Tutu was alive at the same time as Leon Trotsky — their lives overlapped for 9 years (1931–1940).[1][2][5][6]
- Desmond Tutu shares a birthday with Vladimir Putin: both were born on October 7.[1][2][7][8]
Desmond Mpilo Tutu was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then Archbishop of Cape Town from 1986 to 1996, in both cases being the first Black African to hold the position. Theologically, he sought to fuse ideas from Black theology with African theology.[1]
Read more on Wikipedia →Contemporaries
Their World
Questions About Desmond Tutu
When was Desmond Tutu born?
Desmond Tutu was born on October 7, 1931, and died on December 26, 2021.
How old was Desmond Tutu at death?
Desmond Tutu was born on October 7, 1931, and died on December 26, 2021, at age 90.
What was Desmond Tutu known for?
Desmond Tutu was known for: Anti-apartheid cleric, Nobel Peace Prize. Desmond Mpilo Tutu was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then Archbishop of Cape Town from 1986 to 1996, in both cases being the first Black African to hold the position. Theologically, he sought to fuse ideas from Black theology with African theology.
Who was alive at the same time as Desmond Tutu?
Desmond Tutu's closest contemporary was James Watson. Their lives overlapped for 90 years.
Sources
- Desmond Tutu — Wikipedia. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Desmond Tutu (Q43033) — Wikidata
- Nelson Mandela — Wikipedia
- Nelson Mandela (Q8023) — Wikidata
- Leon Trotsky — Wikipedia
- Leon Trotsky (Q33391) — Wikidata
- Vladimir Putin — Wikipedia
- Vladimir Putin (Q7747) — Wikidata
- Portrait: Archbishop-Tutu-medium.jpg — Wikimedia Commons. Benny Gool, Public domain