A 50-Year Memory: The Cuban Revolution

January 1, 1958: Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance.

Yes, I am old enough to remember. No one knew what it meant for sure. All I understood as a 10-year old 5th grader was that there was something about a revolution. The troops led by Che Guevara then entered Havana on Jan. 4 followed by Castro on January 6. The US government recognized the Castro government on January 7.

The rest is a sad and difficult history.

How odd that Castro is still alive today, the last of the Cold War era leaders still alive and in some semblance of power. He has been an odd constant in history for a very long time which means that it is hard to guess what might happen when he is finally gone. Perhaps some significant change will occur with the new Obama administration.