Certainly one of the most fascinating political figure of the 20th century was Fidel Castro. A thorn in the side of the West, a man who, according to official data, survived 634 failed attempts. Orator, lover, strategist, father of the nation but also of many children, politician and communist who did not deny his faith, all this and much more was the unique, revolutionary and charismatic Spaniard by birth, Cuban by self-consciousness, Fidel Alejandro Castro Rooz.

Official, but incredible information says that during his lifetime he remained intact, despite 634 murders planned by the American CIA and other related services. The most curious thing, however, is that the west is trying to put powder on him to make his beard fall out – his trademark. The agents intend, if they cannot kill him, at least to undermine his authority in Cuba. They fail!

According to the accounts of his close friends and associates, Fidel Castro is one of the greatest womanizers the world has ever seen. Cuban pub stories claim he slept with over 30,000 women!

Although there are conflicting opinions in the world about his rule, the fact is that Cubans cannot boast of wealth, but at the same time he should be honored because he almost completely succeeded in eradicating illiteracy in Cuba, so the level of literacy today is up to 99.7%.

Castro’s illness remains an enigma and the subject of much conjecture and speculation to this day. Most of the time it was said that he had cancer, but the Cubans never confirmed it.

In addition to two brothers and four sisters, Castro, who was officially married three times, leaves behind a son, Fidel “Fidelito,” and a daughter, Alina.

Today, Cubans pay special respect to the historic leader of their revolution, Fidel Castro, and speak of him with a mixture of admiration, respect and longing. Most Cubans remember their leader in various anecdotes, and every year on his birthday (August 13), people celebrate him with various activities and with great pride.

Castro is remembered on all continents for always extending a hand of solidarity without asking for anything in return. In this way, he teaches his countrymen to help those in need.

In a 1993 interview with Vanity Fair magazine, when asked how many children he had, Castro replied, “Almost a tribe.” According to another story, while the nation lived on the brink of poverty, Fidel Castro enjoyed plenty and kept everything about his personal life, lovers, eight children and even his wife strictly secret.

Castro’s only officially known wife is Myrta Díaz Ballart, who came from a wealthy family. The daughter of a prominent Cuban politician and mayor, she met Castro while studying philosophy at the University of Havana. The couple married in 1948 and had one child, known as Fidelito. In 1955, however, their marriage failed and Mirta and Fidel divorced. She then marries his archenemy, a man who supports Fulgencio Batista, the Cuban leader ousted during Castro’s revolution.

One of the most controversial women in Fidel’s life was a CIA spy. It is believed that Marita Lorenz was sent by the US in 1959 to kill Castro, but at the crucial moment she failed to pull the trigger because she fell in love with him. She becomes his lover and a year after arriving in Cuba, she tries to slip poison capsules into Castro’s dessert, but he discovers her intention.

“I thought he was going to shoot me, but he gave me the gun and said, ‘Did you come to kill me?'” Then he took a puff of smoke from his cigar and closed his eyes. He didn’t defend himself because he knew I couldn’t do that. He still loved me and I still loved him,” Lorenz says. She throws the gun away, refusing to kill her lover.

Photo: Castro (right) with fellow revolutionary Camilo Cienfuegos entering Havana on 8 January 1959 / Luis Korda / Public Domain