Fidel Castro Fast Facts

Birth name: Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz

Father: Angel Castro, landowner

Mother: Lina Ruz, navigator and maid to Angel Castro's archetypal wife

Marriage: Dalia Soto del Valle (date unavailable-November 25, 2016, his death); Mirta Diaz-Balart (1948-1955, divorced)

Children: with Natalia Revuelta: Alina; with chartless woman: Jorge Angel; with Dalia Soto del Valle: Alexis, Alexander, Antonio, Alejandro and Angel; with Mirta Diaz-Balart: Fidel "Fidelito"

Education: Colegio Dolores successful Santiago de Cuba, 1942; Colegio Belen successful Havana, 1945; University of Havana, doctorate successful 1950

Other Facts

Led the overthrow of the Batista dictatorship of Cuba successful 1959.

Made Cuba the archetypal Communist state successful the Western Hemisphere.

Brought societal reforms to Cuba, but was criticized for oppressing quality rights and state of speech.

During his clip successful office, thousands of Cubans sought exile successful the United States.

Timeline

1947 - Castro participates successful an unsuccessful rebellion successful the Dominican Republic against Generalissimo Rafael Trujillo.

1952 - Castro runs for parliament. The authorities is overthrown connected March 10, 1952, by Fulgencio Batista, and the elections are suspended.

July 26, 1953 - Castro and astir 150 others onslaught the Moncada subject barracks successful Santiago de Cuba successful an unsuccessful effort to overthrow the Batista regime.

October 16, 1953 - Castro is sentenced to 15 years successful prison.

May 15, 1955 - Fidel and Raul Castro are released arsenic portion of a wide amnesty for governmental prisoners. They spell into exile successful Mexico. While successful Mexico, they conscionable Argentine doc Che Guevara. The 3 signifier a radical of Cuban exiles into a caller guerrilla group.

December 2, 1956 - Eighty-two exiles onshore successful Cuba, connected a yacht named Granma. Most are killed immediately. The survivors, including Guevara and the Castros, fly to the Sierra Maestra Mountains. Between 1957 and 1958, they wage a guerrilla run from this base, which includes skirmishes with authorities troops and burning sweetener crops.

January 1, 1959 - Batista is overthrown by Castro's forces.

January 2, 1959 - Manuel Urrutia is named the caller president. Jose Miro Cardona is appointed premier minister.

February 16, 1959 - Castro takes implicit arsenic premier minister.

April 15-26, 1959 - Castro visits the United States.

May 8, 1960 - Cuba and the Soviet Union found ceremonial diplomatic relations.

September 1960 - Castro addresses the United Nations General Assembly.

April 17, 1961 - A radical of astir 1,300 Cuban exiles onshore astatine Playa Giron (Bay of Pigs). Armed with US weapons, they marque an unsuccessful effort to overthrow Castro. The survivors are released successful December 1962, successful speech for $53 cardinal successful nutrient and medicine.

May 1962 - A Soviet delegation visits Cuba. During the visit, Soviet officials conscionable with Castro to sermon installing atomic missiles successful Cuba.

December 3, 1976 - Castro becomes president of the State Council. This caller rubric replaces the posts of president and premier minister.

April-September 1980 - Some 125,000 Cubans immigrate to the United States. This exodus becomes known arsenic the Mariel Boatlift.

August 19, 1994 - US President Bill Clinton announces an extremity to the "open door" argumentation connected Cuban refugees, established by US President Lyndon Johnson successful 1966. From present on, Cubans intercepted astatine oversea volition beryllium repatriated, but those who scope onshore volition beryllium allowed to stay.

January 21-25, 1998 - Castro welcomes Pope John Paul II arsenic the pontiff begins a historical five-day visit. This marks the archetypal clip a pope has ever visited Cuba.

Spring 2003 - Castro cracks down connected dissidents, giving agelong sentences to 75 arrested activists.

October 20, 2004 - After delivering a speech, Castro falls portion leaving the podium.

July 31, 2006 - A connection work connected Cuban TV announces that Castro is undergoing intestinal country and has provisionally handed implicit powerfulness to his member Raul. The statement is expected to past for respective weeks portion Castro recuperates.

June 3, 2007 - Castro is shown connected Cuban TV lasting and greeting a visitor.

October 29, 2007 - Castro publishes his autobiography, "My Life," successful the United Kingdom. The publication contains a bid of interviews done with writer Ignacio Ramonet. The publication is released successful the United States successful 2008.

February 19, 2008 - Castro announces his resignation arsenic president successful a missive published connected the online mentation of Cuba's state-run newspaper, Granma.

December 4, 2008 - In an essay, writes that Cuba would beryllium consenting to speech with US President Barack Obama's administration.

March 22, 2011 - In an effort published by Cuban authorities media, Castro writes that helium resigned arsenic caput of the Communist enactment erstwhile helium fell sick connected July 31, 2006, and ne'er tried to resume his position.

February 3, 2012 - Castro publishes a two-volume memoir of his life, "Fidel Castro Ruz: Guerrilla of Time," based connected conversations with the writer Katiuska Blanco.

October 22, 2012 - The Cuban authorities steps up efforts to beryllium Castro is inactive successful bully health. Former Venezuelan Vice President Elias Jaua claims to person met with Castro and shows reporters a photograph of the 2 of them together.

January 26, 2015 - A published missive purportedly written by Castro endorses the fledgling talks to reconstruct diplomatic relations betwixt Cuba and the United States adjacent though Castro inactive "doesn't trust" US policies.

March 2, 2015 - Cuba's state-run property publishes photos of Castro speaking with 5 Cuban quality agents precocious released by the United States successful a captive swap.

April 19, 2016 - During a code Castro addresses his mortality saying, "Soon I volition crook 90 years old, ne'er would specified a happening person occurred to me, and it's not the result of immoderate effort; it was fate's whim, soon I volition beryllium similar everyone else. To each of america comes our turn."