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Birth
Fidel Castro was born on August 13, 1926 to his mother, Lina Ruz González, and to his father, Angel Castro y Argiz. Castro's birth place is Birán, Cuba, which is located in the eastern part of the island. Castro was the third of seven children that his mother bore. -
Castro moves away with teacher
Fidel lived a wealthy childhood due to his father's success. Castro was a trouble maker in school and due to his actions, he was sent to live with his teacher in Santiago. Castro often failed to have enough to eat while living under the tutor. -
Adolf Hitler appointed Chancellor of Germany
On January 30, 1933, Adolf Hitler was appointed as the chancellor of Germany by President Paul Von Hindenburg. This appointment was made in an effort to keep Hitler and the Nazi Party “in check”. However, it would have disastrous results for Germany and the entire European continent. -
World War II begins
In late August 1939, Hitler and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin signed the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact, which incited a frenzy of worry in London and Paris. The pact with Stalin meant that Hitler would not face a war on two fronts once he invaded Poland, and would have Soviet assistance in conquering and dividing the nation itself. On September 1, 1939, Hitler invaded Poland from the west; two days later, France and Britain declared war on Germany, beginning World War II. -
Castro begins law school
Castro beings law school at the University of Havana in 1945. He then becomes interested in politics, socialism, nationalism, and anti-imperialism. He also gets involved with the violent gang culture of the university. -
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Castro begins law school
Castro begins law school at the University of Havana in 1945. He becomes interested in politics, socialism, nationalism and anti-imperialism. Castro also gets involved with the violent gang culture of the university. -
Adolf Hitler commits suicide
Nazi leader Adolf Hitler shot himself in the head with his pistol, likely after swallowing cyanide, ending his own life just before 3:30 pm on April 30, 1945. In the same room with Hitler was his new wife, Eva Braun, who ended her life by swallowing a cyanide capsule. After their deaths, SS men carried their bodies up to the Chancellery’s courtyard, covered them with gasoline, and lit them on fire. -
Castro gets married to his first wife
On October 12, 1948, Castro marries his first wife, Mirta Diaz-Balart. They have Fidelito, their only child, but the marriage ends with a divorce in 1955. Castro later marries Dalia Soto del Valle, with whom he has five sons. -
Castro and his brother launch a guerrilla war against Batista
Castro and his brother Raúl, along with a group of 80 or so armed men land in Cuba. The Castro brothers along with Che Guevara and nine other men evade capture and launch a guerrilla war against the Batista government. Over the years, Castro's forces gains volunteers and begins to defeat Batista's army. -
Castro becomes prime minister of Cuba
After defeating Batista on January 1, 1959, Castro becomes the prime minister of Cuba on February 16, 1959. Following the resignation of the president, Manuel Urrutia, Castro rules essentially as a dictator and suppresses the opposition despite of his position as prime minister. Castro then attempts to move towards a socialist state. -
The Bay of Pigs invasion fails
The United States sponsors a disastrous invasion of the Bay of Pigs in attempt to overthrow Castro. The relationship between Cuba and the United States then deteriorates. Castro then invites the Soviet Union to secretly build sites for nuclear missiles in his country. This leads to the 1962 Missile Crisis, and brings the world to the brink of nuclear war. -
Castro is elected president
Castro remains popular with the Cubans despite his dictatorial style. The Cuban people benefit from Castro's free education and healthcare programs. On December 3, 1976, the Cuban National Assembly elects Castro as the president of the State Council. The new position replaced that of a president and prime minister. Castro remains with complete control with his brother Raúl, second in command. -
9/11 Terrorist attacks
On September 11th, 2001 two planes crashed into the North and South Twin Towers, The Pentagon, and an attempt to attack the White House. In total there were 2,819 people killed in the attacks. About 20 percent of Americans knew someone hurt or killed in the attacks. -
Mars Exploration Rover
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover is an ongoing robotic space mission involving two Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, exploring the planet Mars. It began in 2003 with the sending of the two rovers: MER-A Spirit and MER-B Opportunity—to explore the Martian surface and geology. Both rovers outlived their planned missions of 90 Martian solar days by far. MER-A Spirit was active until 2010. MER-B Opportunity is still active. -
Castro passes the presidency to his brother Raúl
Castro formally resigns from presidency on February 19, 2008 due to years of poor health. Castro passes power to his brother Raúl, who had previously lead the country provisionally. Castro's announcement was published in Granma, the official Communist Party newspaper. -
Michael Phelps Record 8 Gold medals in the 2008 Olympics
In the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Michael Phelps set a record by winning 8 gold medals breaking Mark Spitz’s record of seven gold medals won in a single Olympic Games, which had stood since 1972. Phelps, along with teammates Brendan Hansen, Aaron Peirsol, and Jason Lezak, set a new world record in the event with a time of 3 minutes and 29.34 seconds. -
Castro resigns as secretary-general of the Communist Party of Cuba
Following the resignation of Castro from the presidency, he continues to serve as secretary-general of the Communist Party of Cuba. Later, official photos are released to show that Castro is healthy. Putting Raúl in charge, Castro steps down as secretary-general on March 22, 2011.
