Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was the founding father and first president of the United Arab Emirates. He was born in 1918 and became ruler of Abu Dhabi in 1966. Under his leadership, Abu Dhabi and the other emirates prospered with the discovery of oil. Sheikh Zayed worked tirelessly to develop the country's infrastructure and public services. He also pushed for the formation of the UAE through negotiations with neighboring emirates. On December 2nd, 1971 the UAE was formed with Sheikh Zayed as its first president. Sheikh Zayed transformed the UAE into a modern nation through massive investments and development projects up until his death in 2004