Celebrating 90th birthday Cuba Fidel Castro survive the wrath of United States

Cuban dictator Fidel Castro was born near Birán, Cuba, in 1926. Beginning in 1958 Castro and his forces began a campaign of guerrilla warfare to successfully overthrow Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista, and Castro became the country's new leader. His communist domestic policies and military and economic relations with the Soviet Union led to strained relations with the United States that culminated in the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. He was also responsible for fomenting communist revolutions in other countries around the world. Under Castro, improvements were made to health care and education, while civil liberties were severely eroded. However, the 1991 collapse of communism and its negative impact on Cuba's economy led Castro to relax some restrictions over time. Amidst failing health, in 2008 Fidel Castro officially handed over power to his brother Raúl Castro, though he still wields some political influence in Cuba and abroad.