Anwar Sadat was born on December 25, 1918, in Mit Abu al-Dum, al-Minufiyah, Egypt. He attended the Royal Military Academy in Cairo where he graduated and joined the Free Officers movement, which was committed to freeing Egypt from British control.
In an attempt to rid Egypt of British forces during World War II, Sadat was caught and imprisoned by the British. Following his release, Sadat made his way into politics and held many positions in the Egyptian government. With his experience, he moved up to become the Vice President under Gamal Abdal Nasser.
The following year, Nasser died, and Sadat took control of the presidency. In 1973, Sadat prevailed against Israel in the Yom Kippur war, which raised his country's morale and made him the “Hero of the Crossing." In November 1977, Sadat made the first official visit to Israel's leader, Menachem Begin, to try to obtain peace.
With facilitation by U.S. president Jimmy Carter, they produced the Camp David Peace Agreement in 1978, earning the Nobel Peace Prize. After much unrest following the Camp David accords, Saddat became unpopular in some Arab circles, resulting in his assassination by Egyptian Islamic Jihad organization members on October 6, 1981.