Nelson Mandela
Nine-year-old Nelson Mandela was adopted after his father passed away in 1927. He joined the family of Jongintaba Dalindyebo, a leader of the Thembu tribe who lived in the South African village of Mvezo.
It was Dalindyebo who saw the potential in Mandela and encouraged him to become a young leader within the tribe. The rest, as they say, is history.