15 facts you didn't know about Bernie Sanders

15 facts you didn't know about Bernie Sanders

1. Bernie Sanders is the first non-Christian to win a U.S. primary

The Jewish candidate and Brooklyn native doesn’t talk much about his religious background. He doesn't participate in organized religion, but did attend Hebrew school, receive a Bar Mitzvah and worked on a kibbutz (a type of commune) in Israel. He got into politics at an early age after learning of the rise of Adolf Hitler and how his father lost several relatives in the Holocaust. less 15 facts you didn't know about Bernie Sanders

1. Bernie Sanders is the first non-Christian to win a U.S. primary

The Jewish candidate and Brooklyn native doesn’t talk much about his religious background. He ... more 1. Bernie Sanders is the first non-Christian to win a U.S. primary Photo: Alex Wong, Getty Images Photo: Alex Wong, Getty Images Image 1 of / 21 Caption Close 15 facts you didn't know about Bernie Sanders 1 / 21 Back to Gallery

Early in the 2016 primary season, history is already being made.

In Iowa, a woman and a Latino won presidential caucuses for the first time in U.S. history. On Tuesday night, Bernie Sanders became the first non-Christian candidate to win a primary after taking New Hampshire. At the same time, Republican Donald Trump became the first person to win a primary after calling another candidate a “p----."

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All these historic moments suggest that Americans are taking part in an election unlike anything the nation has seen before. But perhaps the biggest shock so far is Sanders. The Vermont senator, political independent and avowed socialist grew up in a poor Jewish home in Brooklyn. He later became an active participant in the Civil Rights movement before attaining political office.

Trump’s obscene success might seem the wackiest at the moment. But a self-funded billionaire with plenty of name-recognition can always make room for himself in U.S. politics (Also see: Michael Bloomberg). Who would’ve predicted a year ago that a 74-year-old self-styled socialist would be taken seriously by the electorate?

As he tries to ride the populist surge, see the gallery for 15 facts about Bernie Sanders.