In the spotlight
Che Guevara, a Latin American guerilla leader, went to Mexico in 1954 where he joined exiled Cubans under Fidel Castro, who became president after the 1956-59 Cuban Revolution. After Castro came to power, Guevara served as president of Cuba's national bank and as the Minister of Industry.
In 1965, Guevara left Cuba to set up guerilla forces in Congo and then in Bolivia, where he was wounded in a clash with government troops. He was ultimately captured by the Bolivian army and executed near Vallegrande in 1967.
Real name: Ernesto Guevara, June 14, 1928 - October 9, 1967
Birth place: Rosario, Argentina
Education: Medical degree from the University of Buenos Aires, specialising in dermatology
Trivia: Suffered from asthma all his life, hence disqualifying him from military service; was called Che due to his habit of ending his sentences with and calling his friends 'che' - an Argentinian expression for 'buddy'; an advocate of peasant-based revolutionary movements in developing countries
