Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel passed away Saturday at the age of 87. Wiesel's literary work and his numerous accomplishments will forever be embedded in the history of the Jewish people. 1928 Wiesel is born to an ultra-Orthodox family in the Romanian town of Sighetu Marmatiei, in Transylvania. His parents, Sarah and Shlomo Wiesel, own a grocery store. 1944 Wiesel and his family are deported to Auschwitz. His mother and sister are murdered upon arrival, and Wiesel and his father are sent to a labor camp, after which they are transferred to various concentration camps. 1945 Wiesel is freed from Buchenwald after it is liberated by the Allied forces. His father does not survive. 1955 Wiesel publishes his first book, "Night," which is based on his experiences in Auschwitz and Buchenwald. "Night" is to become one of the best selling books in Holocaust literature. 1969 Wiesel marries Austrian Holocaust survivor Marion Rose, who becomes his English translator. 1985 Wiesel is awarded the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal. 1986 Wiesel receives the Nobel Peace Prize for his work as chairman of the Presidential Commission on the Holocaust (1978-1986). 1992 Wiesel is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, bestowed by the U.S. president. 2003 Romanian President Ion Iliescu appoints Wiesel to lead the International Commission for the Study of the Holocaust in Romania. 2013 President Shimon Peres awards Wiesel the Presidential Medal of Distinction for ongoing contribution to the memorial of the Holocaust and "in light of his uncompromising drive for peace and tolerance." 2014 Wiesel rejects offer to run for Israeli presidency.
