Born: 14 May 1928 · Died: 9 October 1967 · Age: 39
Argentine-born Marxist revolutionary who fought alongside Fidel Castro in Cuba and became a worldwide symbol of rebellion
Did you know?He was a qualified doctor who first became politically active after taking a motorcycle journey across South America.
Quick facts
Date of birth14 May 1928
Date of death9 October 1967
Age at death39
Cause of deathGunshot wound
NationalityArgentine
BirthplaceRosario, Argentina
Occupationphysician, revolutionary, partisan
Editor's Take:
Che Guevara's face, taken from a single photograph by Alberto Korda, became one of the most reproduced images in the world. Born into a middle-class family in Argentina, he became a key commander alongside Fidel Castro in the Cuban Revolution of 1959. He then served in Cuba's government before leaving to spread revolution in the Congo and Bolivia, where he was captured and executed in 1967. To admirers he is a romantic symbol of resistance against injustice. To critics, including many Cubans, he is remembered for executions and harsh rule, making him a deeply divisive icon.
Key Milestones
1952: Travels across South America by motorcycle
1955: Meets Fidel Castro in Mexico
1956: Lands in Cuba aboard the Granma
1959: Revolutionaries take Havana
1965: Leaves Cuba to fight in the Congo
1967: Captured and killed in Bolivia
Ernesto "Che" Guevara de la Serna (14 May 1928 – 9 October 1967) was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, author, guerrilla leader, diplomat, politician, and military theorist.
