Political Leaders of the Cold War

The atlas holds 39 people and 821 moments here, from 1947 to 1991. The most recorded lives are Ronald Reagan, Martin Luther King Jr. and Mikhail Gorbachev.

Notable people

1. Alexei Navalny

   in 1976

   1 moment here

   Russian opposition leader, anti-corruption activist, politician, and political prisoner. This chronology records supported locations of his birth,…

2. Benazir Bhutto

   from 1953 to 1989

   21 moments here

   Pakistani political leader who served twice as prime minister, from 1988 to 1990 and from 1993 to 1996.…

3. Charles de Gaulle

   from 1958 to 1970

   12 moments here

   French army officer, leader of Free France during the Second World War, head of France's Provisional Government, and president of the French Fifth…

4. Che Guevara

   from 1948 to 1967

   43 moments here

   Ernesto "Che" Guevara (1928–1967) was an Argentine physician, Marxist revolutionary, Cuban government official, diplomat, and guerrilla commander.…

5. Corazon Aquino

   from 1949 to 1989

   21 moments here

   María Corazón Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino was a Filipino political leader and president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992.…

6. Dwight D. Eisenhower

   from 1948 to 1969

   18 moments here

   Dwight D. Eisenhower was a United States Army officer, Supreme Allied Commander in Europe during World War II, and the 34th president of the United…

7. Ebrahim Raisi

   from 1960 to 1989

   6 moments here

   Iranian cleric, judicial official, and politician who served as president of Iran from 2021 until his death in a helicopter crash in 2024.…

8. Fidel Castro

   from 1948 to 1991

   33 moments here

   Cuban revolutionary and political leader who led the 26th of July Movement against Fulgencio Batista, became Cuba's prime minister in 1959, and later…

9. Gabriela Mistral

   from 1948 to 1957

   7 moments here

   Chilean poet, educator, journalist, and diplomat born Lucila Godoy Alcayaga. Mistral taught across Chile, worked on Mexican educational reform,…

10. George H. W. Bush

    from 1948 to 1991

    24 moments here

    George Herbert Walker Bush was an American naval aviator, oil executive, congressman, diplomat, director of central intelligence, vice president, and…

11. Golda Meir

    from 1947 to 1978

    20 moments here

    Golda Meir was an Israeli political leader who served as Israel’s prime minister from 1969 to 1974.…

12. Harry S. Truman

    from 1947 to 1972

    17 moments here

    Harry S. Truman (1884–1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953.…

13. Helen Keller

    from 1947 to 1968

    16 moments here

    Helen Adams Keller was an American deafblind author, lecturer, disability-rights advocate, and political activist.…

14. Henry Ford

    in 1947

    1 moment here

    American industrialist and founder of Ford Motor Company. Ford grew up in rural Michigan, worked in Detroit engineering and machine shops, developed…

15. Ho Chi Minh

    from 1950 to 1969

    10 moments here

    Vietnamese revolutionary and statesman, born Nguyễn Sinh Cung, who led the Việt Minh, proclaimed the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945, and…

16. Hugo Chávez

    from 1954 to 1984

    6 moments here

    Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías was a Venezuelan army officer and politician who led the failed February 1992 coup attempt, became president of Venezuela in…

17. Indira Gandhi

    from 1956 to 1984

    34 moments here

    Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi was an Indian stateswoman who served as prime minister from 1966 to 1977 and from 1980 until her assassination in 1984.…

18. Jawaharlal Nehru

    from 1947 to 1964

    23 moments here

    Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist and statesman who became independent India’s first prime minister, serving from 15 August 1947 until his…

19. Jimmy Carter

    from 1949 to 1982

    36 moments here

    James Earl Carter Jr. was an American naval officer, Georgia state senator and governor, the 39th president of the United States, and a…

20. John F. Kennedy

    from 1947 to 1963

    52 moments here

    John Fitzgerald Kennedy was an American naval officer, journalist, congressman, senator, and the 35th president of the United States.…

21. Joseph Stalin

    in 1953

    1 moment here

    Soviet revolutionary and political leader, born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili in Gori, Georgia.…

22. Kofi Annan

    from 1954 to 1983

    9 moments here

    Ghanaian diplomat and statesman who served as Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006.…

23. Li Keqiang

    from 1955 to 1988

    6 moments here

    Chinese politician and economist who rose from rural labour in Anhui through the Communist Youth League, led Henan and Liaoning, served as vice…

24. Mahatma Gandhi

    from 1947 to 1948

    7 moments here

    Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, political ethicist, and leader of mass nonviolent resistance.…

Moments

1. 1947 Lived in Georgetown during House service John F. Kennedy
2. 1947 Research chemist in Colchester Margaret Thatcher
3. 1947 Arrives in Patna for Bihar peace mission Mahatma Gandhi
4. 1947 Inspects ruined sites near Masaurhi Mahatma Gandhi
5. 1947 Visits Kako relief camp Mahatma Gandhi
6. 1947 Death at Fair Lane Henry Ford
7. 1947 Fasts and spins in Calcutta on independence day Mahatma Gandhi
8. 1947 Stays at Sodepur before independence Mahatma Gandhi
9. 1948 Medical studies at the University of Buenos Aires Che Guevara
10. 1948 Assassinated at Birla House Mahatma Gandhi
11. 1948 Begins final Delhi fast Mahatma Gandhi
12. 1948 Conservative Party conference delegate Margaret Thatcher
13. 1948 First pastoral assignment Pope John Paul II
14. 1948 Ordained at Ebenezer Baptist Church Martin Luther King Jr.
15. 1948 Bogotá and the Bogotazo Fidel Castro
16. 1948 Addresses Congress of Europe at The Hague Winston Churchill
17. 1948 Speaks in Oslo Winston Churchill
18. 1948 Begins Crozer Seminary studies Martin Luther King Jr.
19. 1949 Western Pacific submarine patrol Jimmy Carter
20. 1949 Speaks at MIT Winston Churchill
21. 1949 Move to larger Havana flat Fidel Castro
22. 1949 Proclamation of the People's Republic Mao Zedong
23. 1949 First Moscow visit Mao Zedong
24. 1950 Solo northern Argentina expedition Che Guevara
25. 1950 Arrival for Moscow State University Mikhail Gorbachev
26. 1950 Moscow State University residence Mikhail Gorbachev
27. 1950 Foundry apprenticeship Yuri Gagarin
28. 1950 Challenges segregation at Mary's Cafe Martin Luther King Jr.
29. 1950 Student protest and arrest Fidel Castro
30. 1950 Hears Mordecai Johnson on Gandhi Martin Luther King Jr.
31. 1951 Began a Europe-Asia fact-finding tour John F. Kennedy
32. 1951 Industrial Technical School studies Yuri Gagarin
33. 1951 Graduates from Crozer Martin Luther King Jr.
34. 1951 Begins Boston University studies Martin Luther King Jr.
35. 1951 Visited French Indochina John F. Kennedy
36. 1952 South American motorcycle journey Che Guevara
37. 1952 Visit to Chuquicamata copper mine Che Guevara
38. 1952 Volunteer work at San Pablo leper colony Che Guevara
39. 1952 Marries Nancy Davis Ronald Reagan
40. 1952 Launches Defiance Campaign in Durban Nelson Mandela
41. 1952 Builds Pacific Palisades home Ronald Reagan
42. 1953 Return to Plains farming Jimmy Carter
43. 1953 Visits Eisenhower and Truman in the United States Winston Churchill
44. 1953 Nuclear-power course at Union College Jimmy Carter
45. 1953 Dies at Kuntsevo Dacha Joseph Stalin
46. 1953 Medical degree in Buenos Aires Che Guevara
47. 1953 Marries Coretta Scott Martin Luther King Jr.
48. 1953 Moncada attack and retreat Fidel Castro
49. 1953 Opens Mandela and Tambo Nelson Mandela
50. 1953 Trial at Santiago Palace of Justice Fidel Castro

Related