It is Nelson Mandela International Day, a day of service celebrated on July 18, Mandela's birthday.  Mandela, the former President of South Africa and Nobel Peace Prize recipient, died at 95 on December 5, 2013.  This is the first time the day has been celebrated since his death.

The day was created to honor Mandela and inspire others to carry on his efforts to "take responsibility for making the world a better place, one small step at a time," according to a statement from the Nelson Mandela Foundation initiative.