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Record-holder - In September 1960, Fidel Castro spoke for four hours and 29 minutes at a United Nations meeting. The speech is included in the Guinness Book of World Records.

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Strong friendship - One of Castro's closest friends was Hugo Chávez, the President of Venezuela from 1999 to 2013.

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Sporty outfits - Throughout most of his life, the Cuban leader preferred wearing military uniforms. But in his later years it was common to see him wearing sports clothes.

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Links to the USSR - During the 1960s, Castro formed an allegiance with the Soviet Union. He allowed for the Soviets to bring atomic missiles to Cuba, which sparked the Cuban Missile Crisis. Castro is seen here next to Nikita Khrushchev, the Prime Minister of the Soviet Union during this period.

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Influential personality -

Time magazine named Fidel Castro as one of the 100 most influential people of all time.

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Sportsman - The Cuban leader was a sports fan and spent a lot of his time working out.

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Longest ruling leader - Fidel Castro was the third longest-ruling leader in the world, topped only by Queen Elizabeth II and the King of Thailand, Rama IX.

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International rebel - In 1959, Fidel Castro supported those who wanted to unseat Rafael Trujillo, President of the Dominican Republic.

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New vocabulary - American historian Theodore Draper created the term "Castroism" to describe the combination of European socialism and Latin American revolution.

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Children -

Castro kept his personal life discreet, but he is known to have had at least seven children.

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Productive cow -

Ubre Blanca was the name of one of Castro's cows. She held the record for the largest milk production in one day—over 100 liters.

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Favorite author -

Ernest Hemingway was one of the Cuban President's favorite authors. They met in 1960, and the American writer even had a Cuban permanent residency permit.

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Parents' names -

His full name was Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz. The surname Castro comes from his dad, Ángel Castro y Argiz, while Ruz came from his mother, Lina Ruz González.

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Fans -

The controversial figure had a legion of famous supporters, including director Oliver Stone.

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Cigars -

For many years, Castro enjoyed cigars. He quit in the 1980s.

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First man to go on space - The politician met the first man to travel to space, Yuri Gagarin, when the astronaut visited Havana.

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Mythical quotes - Castro is known for his iconic quotes, including "Condemn me. It does not matter. History will absolve me."

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Businessman - Castro used to work late nights, and on many occasions stayed in his office until dawn. He often met diplomats late at night and used their tiredness as an advantage in negotiations.

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Persecution - According to the BBC, after the Cuban revolution, homosexual people were persecuted. Years later, Castro said he regretted this.

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Long career - Throughout his political career, he had dealings with 10 US Presidents, from Eisenhower to Clinton.

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Bilingual -

Castro spoke fluent English, but rarely chose to.

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26th of July Movement - In 1955, Castro went to Mexico with his brother Raúl and Che Guevara. They founded the 26th of July Movement. The group's goal was to fight the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista.

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Iconic beard -

According to the online edition of the East African, Castro didn't like to shave because he thought it was a waste of time.

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Target -

According to CNN, Cuban officials said that Castro was a target of over 600 murder attempts.

See also: Why Che Guevara still lights a revolutionary spark

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