Fidel Castro was born out of wedlock at his father's Cuban farm on Friday August 13, 1926.
Known as a rebellious, loud, and troublesome child, Fidel Castro was sent to a Jesuit boarding school in Santiago de Cuba, where he was often teased by his wealthier classmates who called him a "peasant."
When Fidel Castro was 14 he wrote a letter to U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt and asked him for a 10 dollar bill because he admired America. in 1940, He said: "If you like, give me a ten dollars bill green American, in the letter, because never, I have not seen a ten dollars bill green American and I would like to have one of them."
Castro was voted Cuba’s best schoolboy athlete in 1944. He was a left-handed pitcher and had a trial for Washington Senators baseball team but was turned down.
Castro enrolled at the University of Havana, where he earned a law degree.
Castro married Mirta Diaz-Balart on October 11, 1948 in Banes, Cuba. They honeymooned in New York City.
They had one child, a son, Fidel Ángel "Fidelito" Castro Díaz-Balart, who was born on September 1, 1949.
He co-founded a legal partnership that primarily catered for poor Cubans, Castro failed to pay his bills; his furniture was repossessed and electricity cut off, distressing his wife.
Castro and Mirta Diaz-Balart divorced (while Castro was in exile) in 1955.
He lived with Celia Sanchez, an upper-class Cuban woman and devoted guerrilla leader for almost 30 years. Sanchez, the love of Castro's life, was also the only one who could disagree with him. Her death from cancer in 1980 was said to hurt him very hard.
Fidel Castro and his brother Raúl led a group of approximately 160 rebels on July 26, 1953 in an unsuccessful attack on the Moncada Barracks, thus beginning the Cuban Revolution. The movement took the name of the date: 26th of July Movement.
On February 16, 1959 Fidel Castro, wearing army fatigues, was sworn in as prime minister of Cuba after dictator Fulgencio Batista fled the island. He accepted the position on the condition that the Prime Minister’s powers be increased.
When he came to power, Castro decreed that every set of the board game Monopoly must be destroyed because of its capitalist ideals.
Known as a rebellious, loud, and troublesome child, Fidel Castro was sent to a Jesuit boarding school in Santiago de Cuba, where he was often teased by his wealthier classmates who called him a "peasant."
When Fidel Castro was 14 he wrote a letter to U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt and asked him for a 10 dollar bill because he admired America. in 1940, He said: "If you like, give me a ten dollars bill green American, in the letter, because never, I have not seen a ten dollars bill green American and I would like to have one of them."
Castro was voted Cuba’s best schoolboy athlete in 1944. He was a left-handed pitcher and had a trial for Washington Senators baseball team but was turned down.
Castro enrolled at the University of Havana, where he earned a law degree.
Castro married Mirta Diaz-Balart on October 11, 1948 in Banes, Cuba. They honeymooned in New York City.
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| Castro, Mirta and son |
They had one child, a son, Fidel Ángel "Fidelito" Castro Díaz-Balart, who was born on September 1, 1949.
He co-founded a legal partnership that primarily catered for poor Cubans, Castro failed to pay his bills; his furniture was repossessed and electricity cut off, distressing his wife.
Castro and Mirta Diaz-Balart divorced (while Castro was in exile) in 1955.
He lived with Celia Sanchez, an upper-class Cuban woman and devoted guerrilla leader for almost 30 years. Sanchez, the love of Castro's life, was also the only one who could disagree with him. Her death from cancer in 1980 was said to hurt him very hard.
Fidel Castro and his brother Raúl led a group of approximately 160 rebels on July 26, 1953 in an unsuccessful attack on the Moncada Barracks, thus beginning the Cuban Revolution. The movement took the name of the date: 26th of July Movement.
On February 16, 1959 Fidel Castro, wearing army fatigues, was sworn in as prime minister of Cuba after dictator Fulgencio Batista fled the island. He accepted the position on the condition that the Prime Minister’s powers be increased.
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| Fidel Castro - MATS Terminal Washington 1959 |
When he came to power, Castro decreed that every set of the board game Monopoly must be destroyed because of its capitalist ideals.
Fidel Castro's speech at the United Nations on September 29, 1960 was notable for its length. He delivered a marathon address that lasted for 4 hours and 29 minutes, one of the longest ever delivered at the United Nations. During his speech, Castro criticized imperialism and called for global disarmament while expressing his support for various socialist and anti-imperialist causes. Castro's speech made headlines at the time and is still remembered for its length and the passionate delivery of his political beliefs.
On December 2, 1961, Cuban leader Fidel Castro delivered a televised speech in which he declared himself a Marxist-Leninist and announced that Cuba would adopt communism as its political and economic system. This marked a significant shift in Cuba's political trajectory and solidified its alignment with the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
Prior to this declaration, Castro's political ideology had been somewhat ambiguous. While he had implemented socialist policies such as nationalization of industries and land reform, he had not explicitly embraced communism. His announcement in December 1961 was a turning point, as it signaled his full commitment to a communist system for Cuba.
Castro's declaration had a profound impact on Cuba's domestic and international relations. It led to the strengthening of ties between Cuba and the Soviet Union, which provided significant economic and military assistance to the island nation. Additionally, the announcement strained relations between Cuba and the United States, which viewed communism as a threat to its interests in the Western Hemisphere.
Castro publicly declared himself an atheist. After the Cuban Revolution in 1959, tension grew between the Catholic Church and Castro's communist government. The government implemented policies restricting religious activities, including closing Catholic schools and expelling priests. Pope John XXIII publicly disagreed with these actions.
Fidel Castro had a strange dairy obsession, and would craft elaborate schemes such as a "race of super cows" and tiny cows to keep as house pets. He even bred a cow that produced over 100 liters of milk in a day.
Castro particularly loved ice cream, so much that he had arguments about it with other world leaders. He once consumed 18 scoops of ice cream in one sitting. .
Following intestinal surgery in 2006, Fidel Castro provisionally transferred the duties of the Cuban presidency to his brother Raúl.
In a February 2008 letter, Castro announced that he would not accept the positions of President of the Council of State and Commander in Chief at that month's National Assembly meetings because of the decline in his physical condition. On February 24, 2008, the National Assembly of People's Power unanimously voted Raúl as president.
Castro resigned from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba on April 19, 2011 after 50 years of holding the title of First Secretary.
Fidel Castro survived 638 assassination attempts, sprawling over the decades. They included some bizarre efforts, which included a toxic cigar and exploding mollusks. There was even a plot to make his beard fall off to lower his popularity.
Fidel Castro died in Santiago de Cuba aged 90 at 22:29 [EST] on November 25, 2016. The longest-serving non-royal head of state in the 20th and 21st centuries, the Marxist revolutionary had governed the Republic of Cuba for 47 years as Prime Minister from 1959 -1976 and then as President from 1976 -2006.
Before his death, Fidel Castro's last wish was to avoid being a "personality cult"; because of this, Cuba prohibits the use of Castro's name in the names of "institutions, parks, streets and other public places, as well as any honorary titles or medals."
Fidel Castro had a strange dairy obsession, and would craft elaborate schemes such as a "race of super cows" and tiny cows to keep as house pets. He even bred a cow that produced over 100 liters of milk in a day.
Castro particularly loved ice cream, so much that he had arguments about it with other world leaders. He once consumed 18 scoops of ice cream in one sitting. .
Following intestinal surgery in 2006, Fidel Castro provisionally transferred the duties of the Cuban presidency to his brother Raúl.
In a February 2008 letter, Castro announced that he would not accept the positions of President of the Council of State and Commander in Chief at that month's National Assembly meetings because of the decline in his physical condition. On February 24, 2008, the National Assembly of People's Power unanimously voted Raúl as president.
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| Castro in front of a Havana statue of Cuban national hero José Martí in 2003.Wikipedia |
Castro resigned from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba on April 19, 2011 after 50 years of holding the title of First Secretary.
Fidel Castro survived 638 assassination attempts, sprawling over the decades. They included some bizarre efforts, which included a toxic cigar and exploding mollusks. There was even a plot to make his beard fall off to lower his popularity.
Fidel Castro died in Santiago de Cuba aged 90 at 22:29 [EST] on November 25, 2016. The longest-serving non-royal head of state in the 20th and 21st centuries, the Marxist revolutionary had governed the Republic of Cuba for 47 years as Prime Minister from 1959 -1976 and then as President from 1976 -2006.
Before his death, Fidel Castro's last wish was to avoid being a "personality cult"; because of this, Cuba prohibits the use of Castro's name in the names of "institutions, parks, streets and other public places, as well as any honorary titles or medals."
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