Cuban dictator Fidel Castro was born near Biran in August 13, 1926. In 1959 he used guerilla warfare to successfully overthrow Cuban leader Batista and was sworn in as Prime Minister of Cuba, remaining so until his presidency in 1976. As prime minister, Castro’s government established covert military and economic relations with the Soviet Union, leading to the Cuban Missile. (Biography Channel, uploaded Sep 10, 2009) Related Videos

Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz was born on August 13, 1926 (though some say he was born a year later), near Birán, located in Cuba’s eastern Oriente province. Fidel Castro was the third of six children, including his two brothers, Raul and Ramon; and three sisters, Angelita, Emma and Augustina. His father, Angel, was a wealthy sugar plantation owner originally from Spain. His mother, Lina Ruz Gonzalez, had been a maid to Angel’s first wife, Maria Luisa Argota, at the time of Fidel’s birth. By the time Fidel was 15, his father dissolved his first marriage and wed Fidel’s mother. At age 17, Fidel was formally recognized by his father and his name was changed from Ruz to Castro.Educated in private Jesuit boarding schools, Castro grew up in wealthy circumstances amid the poverty of Cuba’s people. He was intellectually gifted, but more interested in sports than studies. He attended El Colegio de Belen and pitched for the school’s baseball team. After his graduation in late 1945, Castro entered law school at the University of Havana and became immersed in the political climate of Cuban nationalism, anti-imperialism and socialism. MORE

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Marxist Cuban political leader Fidel Castro helped lead the Cuban Revolution, and served as president of Cuba from 1976 to 2008.