Mitt Romney created history as he finally clinched the Republican nomination to challenge President Barack Obama in the November presidential, becoming the first Mormon nominee from a major political party.

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Romney's historic feat came nearly 200 years after the founding of Mormonism by Joseph Smith, who himself ran for president to call attention to his flock's persecution.

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The Mormon Church has six million members in the United States. Mormons self-identify as Christian as a religious and cultural group though they have stricter social and lifestyle codes, including eschewing alcohol and other beverages, and some of their beliefs differ from mainstream Christianity.

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Former Massachusetts governor Romney succeeded where his father, George, and others, including Senators Orrin Hatch and Mo Udall, did not.

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