hed
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz
Aug. 13, 1926: Born in Birán, in eastern Cuba, to a wealthy Spanish-born sugarcane planter.
Oct. 12, 1948: Marries Mirta Diaz-Balart. They spend their honeymoon in the United States.
1950: Graduates from college with a doctorate in law.
July 26, 1953: As part of an attempt to overthrow Cuban leader Fulgencio Batista, Castro leads a failed attack on the Moncada military barracks near Santiago de Cuba. Dozens of the rebels are killed; Castro and others are imprisoned.
1955: Released from jail under an amnesty, Castro leaves for Mexico. He and Mirta divorce.
Dec. 2, 1956: Castro and 81 other would-be revolutionaries land in Cuba on a yacht named "Granma." While many of the rebels are killed, Castro leads a group to the Sierra Maestra mountains where a guerrilla war is launched.
January 1959: The rebels seize Havana as Batista flees the country. Castro takes power.
1960: Cuba establishes diplomatic and trade relations with the Soviet Union, and expropriates U.S.-owned property in Cuba. The U.S. bans exports to Cuba, except for medical supplies and food.
Jan. 3, 1961: The U.S. breaks off diplomatic relations with Cuba.
April 17-19, 1961: Cuba defeats 1,400 anti-Castro fighters in the U.S.-backed Bay of Pigs invasion.
Feb. 7, 1962: The U.S. imposes a full economic embargo with Cuba.
October 1962: President Kennedy orders a naval blockade of Cuba after Soviet missiles are discovered there. After a tense standoff, the Soviet Union withdraws the missiles.
1975: Castro sends Cuban troops to defend the Soviet-backed regime in Angola.
1977: The United States and Cuba partially restore diplomatic relations by establishing special interest sections in Havana and Washington.
1980: In what becomes known as the "Mariel boatlift," 125,000 Cubans emigrate to the United States by boat and raft.
1990: The Soviet Union's collapse brings economic crisis to Cuba.
1994: Discontent over a worsening economy sparks riots in Havana and an exodus of 32,000 Cubans fleeing on boats and homemade rafts.
Feb. 24, 1996: Cuba kills four exiles when it shoots down two planes belonging to Brothers to the Rescue, an anti-Castro exile group based in Miami.
Jan. 22, 1998: Castro meets with Pope John Paul II during the pontiff's historic visit to Cuba.
1999-2000: Castro fights successfully to have six-year-old Cuban shipwreck survivor Elian Gonzalez returned to Cuba from Florida.
June 23, 2001: Castro passes out during a speech in Havana.
March 2003: Castro orders the arrest of over 65 dissidents.
Oct. 20, 2004: Castro breaks left knee and right arm in a fall after a speech.
April 29, 2005: Castro strikes an oil importation deal with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
July 31, 2006: Castro undergoes surgery and temporarily cedes power to his brother, Raul.
Times research by Scott Wilson
Aug. 13, 1926: Born in Birán, in eastern Cuba, to a wealthy Spanish-born sugarcane planter.
Oct. 12, 1948: Marries Mirta Diaz-Balart. They spend their honeymoon in the United States.
1950: Graduates from college with a doctorate in law.
July 26, 1953: As part of an attempt to overthrow Cuban leader Fulgencio Batista, Castro leads a failed attack on the Moncada military barracks near Santiago de Cuba. Dozens of the rebels are killed; Castro and others are imprisoned.
1955: Released from jail under an amnesty, Castro leaves for Mexico. He and Mirta divorce.
Dec. 2, 1956: Castro and 81 other would-be revolutionaries land in Cuba on a yacht named "Granma." While many of the rebels are killed, Castro leads a group to the Sierra Maestra mountains where a guerrilla war is launched.
January 1959: The rebels seize Havana as Batista flees the country. Castro takes power.
1960: Cuba establishes diplomatic and trade relations with the Soviet Union, and expropriates U.S.-owned property in Cuba. The U.S. bans exports to Cuba, except for medical supplies and food.
Jan. 3, 1961: The U.S. breaks off diplomatic relations with Cuba.
April 17-19, 1961: Cuba defeats 1,400 anti-Castro fighters in the U.S.-backed Bay of Pigs invasion.
Feb. 7, 1962: The U.S. imposes a full economic embargo with Cuba.
October 1962: President Kennedy orders a naval blockade of Cuba after Soviet missiles are discovered there. After a tense standoff, the Soviet Union withdraws the missiles.
1975: Castro sends Cuban troops to defend the Soviet-backed regime in Angola.
1977: The United States and Cuba partially restore diplomatic relations by establishing special interest sections in Havana and Washington.
1980: In what becomes known as the "Mariel boatlift," 125,000 Cubans emigrate to the United States by boat and raft.
1990: The Soviet Union's collapse brings economic crisis to Cuba.
1994: Discontent over a worsening economy sparks riots in Havana and an exodus of 32,000 Cubans fleeing on boats and homemade rafts.
Feb. 24, 1996: Cuba kills four exiles when it shoots down two planes belonging to Brothers to the Rescue, an anti-Castro exile group based in Miami.
Jan. 22, 1998: Castro meets with Pope John Paul II during the pontiff's historic visit to Cuba.
1999-2000: Castro fights successfully to have six-year-old Cuban shipwreck survivor Elian Gonzalez returned to Cuba from Florida.
June 23, 2001: Castro passes out during a speech in Havana.
March 2003: Castro orders the arrest of over 65 dissidents.
Oct. 20, 2004: Castro breaks left knee and right arm in a fall after a speech.
April 29, 2005: Castro strikes an oil importation deal with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
July 31, 2006: Castro undergoes surgery and temporarily cedes power to his brother, Raul.
Times research by Scott Wilson