Ernesto Guevara

Born in Rosario, Argentina, on June 14, 1928, and killed on October 9, 1967, the short life of Ernesto “Che” Guevara de la Serna is that of one of the greatest and most enduring revolutionary figures of all time. One of Time magazine's "icons of the 20th century,” Che was politicized first-hand during his travels as a young man around Latin America, witnessing the CIA-backed overthrow of the elected government of Jacobo Įrbenz in 1954 in Guatemala. Soon after, he sought out a group of Cuban revolutionaries exiled in Mexico City and, in July 1955, immediately after meeting their leader Fidel Castro, enlisted in their expedition to overthrow Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. The Cubans nicknamed him "Che," a popular form of address in Argentina.

After a fierce revolutionary struggle, General Batista fled on January 1, 1959, and Che became a key leader in the new revolutionary government. Until his murder in 1967, Che was also the main international representative of the Cuban revolutionary government, heading numerous delegations to Asia, Africa, and throughout the Americas.