Fidel Castro seized power in Cuba after the overthrow of President Fulgencio Batista in 1959.

After more than three years of guerrilla fighting and with much popular support, Castro and his forces forced President Fulgencio Batista from power and set up a provisional government. On this day in 1959, Castro became premier of Cuba. His Communist affiliations and the effects of his economic policies on U.S. interests in Cuba contributed to a serious failure in relations between the two countries, including a long-standing economic embargo

ReadWriteThink 
Use the ReadWriteThink lesson Biographies: Creating Timelines of a Life (3-5) to guide elementary students in creating a timeline of the life of a famous person in history, such as Fidel Castro.

ARTSEDGE 
In Guantanamera: A Poem and a Song (9-12), students listen to "Guantanamera," a Cuban folk song made famous by Pete Seeger with lyrics from a poem by José Martí. They discover that these two men shared more than a song.

Xpeditions 
Castro was featured as one of the Time magazine's top 100 remarkable people from around the world that have made a cultural, social, historical or environmental contribution to society. In Cultural Icons: Voices of Their Nations (9-12), students research the people on the Time list as they explore the definition of "cultural icon."

Smithsonian's History Explorer
In Exile: Cuba and the United States (9-12), students research the events of the Cuban revolution and their effect on U.S.-Cuban relations and U.S. foreign policy by utilizing Celia Cruz's personal experience. They then prepare a story about the revolution as if they were members of a television news team reporting on the events of the time.