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. Mao Zedong

   from 1949 to 1976

   8 moments here

   Chinese communist revolutionary and political leader who led the Chinese Communist Party and founded the People’s Republic of China.…

2. Margaret Thatcher

   from 1947 to 1991

   25 moments here

   British stateswoman Margaret Hilda Thatcher (née Roberts) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990, the first woman to hold the…

3. Martin Luther King Jr.

   from 1948 to 1968

   62 moments here

   American Baptist minister and civil-rights leader who advanced racial equality through nonviolent protest.…

4. Mikhail Gorbachev

   from 1950 to 1991

   53 moments here

   Soviet and Russian politician who led the Soviet Union from 1985 until its dissolution in 1991.…

5. Mohamed Morsi

   from 1951 to 1985

   6 moments here

   Egyptian engineer, university professor, Muslim Brotherhood politician, and Egypt’s fifth president, serving from 2012 until his removal in July…

6. Nelson Mandela

   from 1952 to 1991

   47 moments here

   South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, lawyer and statesman. Mandela helped lead the African National Congress, co-founded its armed wing,…

7. Pope Francis

   from 1958 to 1986

   12 moments here

   Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Pope Francis, was an Argentine Jesuit priest, archbishop of Buenos Aires, cardinal, and head of the Catholic Church and…

8. Pope John Paul II

   from 1948 to 1990

   16 moments here

   Karol Józef Wojtyła (1920–2005), Pope John Paul II from 1978, was a Polish Catholic priest, bishop, cardinal, and pope.…

9. Raisa Gorbacheva

   from 1949 to 1991

   22 moments here

   Soviet and Russian activist, philanthropist, lecturer, and public figure; wife of Mikhail Gorbachev.…

10. Ronald Reagan

    from 1952 to 1991

    90 moments here

    American broadcaster, actor, labor leader, governor of California, and 40th president of the United States.…

11. Shinzo Abe

    from 1954 to 1978

    3 moments here

    Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 2006 to 2007 and from 2012 to 2020.…

12. Tupac Shakur

    from 1971 to 1988

    5 moments here

    American rapper, actor, poet, and political activist, also known as 2Pac and Makaveli. His documented life included childhood in New York City and…

13. Wangarĩ Maathai

    from 1947 to 1991

    13 moments here

    Kenyan environmentalist, democracy activist, academic, founder of the Green Belt Movement, parliamentarian, and the first African woman awarded the…

14. Winston Churchill

    from 1948 to 1965

    11 moments here

    Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (1874–1965) was a British soldier, journalist, author and statesman whose career ranged from imperial campaigns in…

15. Yuri Gagarin

    from 1950 to 1968

    24 moments here

    Soviet pilot and cosmonaut Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin became the first human to travel into outer space and to orbit Earth on Vostok 1 on 12 April…

Moments

1. 1953 Married in Newport John F. Kennedy
2. 1953 Sentencing and imprisonment Fidel Castro
3. 1953 Arrival in Guatemala Che Guevara
4. 1953 Letter from San José Che Guevara
5. 1954 Political activity in Guatemala City Che Guevara
6. 1954 Addressed Chicago executives John F. Kennedy
7. 1954 Arrival and medical work in Mexico City Che Guevara
8. 1954 Begins Dexter Avenue pastorate Martin Luther King Jr.
9. 1955 Exile and revolutionary preparation Fidel Castro
10. 1955 Settled at Hickory Hill John F. Kennedy
11. 1955 Stavropol home with Raisa Mikhail Gorbachev
12. 1955 Air-force pilot training Yuri Gagarin
13. 1955 Release and return to Havana Fidel Castro
14. 1955 Observes the Freedom Charter's adoption Nelson Mandela
15. 1955 Move to Stavropol Mikhail Gorbachev
16. 1955 Marriage to Hilda Gadea in Mexico Che Guevara
17. 1955 Proceeds to Cape Town Nelson Mandela
18. 1955 Travels through Transkei Nelson Mandela
19. 1955 Leads Holt Street mass meeting Martin Luther King Jr.
20. 1956 Addresses crowd after home bombing Martin Luther King Jr.
21. 1956 Departure aboard Granma Che Guevara
22. 1956 Granma voyage in the Caribbean Sea Che Guevara
23. 1956 Granma departure Fidel Castro
24. 1956 Landing at Playa Las Coloradas Che Guevara
25. 1956 March to Alegría de Pío Che Guevara
26. 1956 Granma landing Fidel Castro
27. 1956 Sierra Maestra guerrilla base Fidel Castro
28. 1956 Rides an integrated Montgomery bus Martin Luther King Jr.
29. 1956 Held in Johannesburg Prison Nelson Mandela
30. 1957 Guerrilla base in the Sierra Maestra Che Guevara
31. 1957 Mao–Khrushchev state visit Mao Zedong
32. 1957 Helps establish the SCLC Martin Luther King Jr.
33. 1957 Moves to San Onofre Drive Ronald Reagan
34. 1957 Meeting Valentina Goryacheva Yuri Gagarin
35. 1957 Meeting with Celia Sánchez Fidel Castro
36. 1957 Witnesses Ghanaian independence Martin Luther King Jr.
37. 1957 Delivers “Give Us the Ballot” Martin Luther King Jr.
38. 1957 Posting to Northern Fleet fighter regiment Yuri Gagarin
39. 1958 Returned to Georgetown John F. Kennedy
40. 1958 Jesuit novitiate and humanities study Pope Francis
41. 1958 Radio Rebelde formation Che Guevara
42. 1958 Return to Algeria as prime minister Charles de Gaulle
43. 1958 Meets President Eisenhower Martin Luther King Jr.
44. 1958 Marries Winnie in Bizana Nelson Mandela
45. 1958 Battle of Las Mercedes Che Guevara
46. 1958 Faces formal Treason Trial Nelson Mandela
47. 1958 Stabbed at Harlem book signing Martin Luther King Jr.
48. 1958 Consecration as auxiliary bishop Pope John Paul II
49. 1958 Receives Order of Liberation in Paris Winston Churchill
50. 1958 Arrival at Santa Clara University Che Guevara

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