January 8th of 1959!!!!
Today is January 8th of 2024 and today marks the 65th anniversary of the day when Fidel Castro arrived in Havana and gave his first speech as the New Leader of Cuba on January 8th of 1959. All TV News Newscasts in Cuba today heralded that fact lavishly...including with photos and videos. 
On January 8th of 1959 on Fidel Castro's drive into Havana, and then during his initial speech, it is notable that the rebel at his side was Camilo Cienfuegos, a key Commander during the war and at Santa Clara, the Battle that convinced Dictator Batista in Havana to bolt to his getaway airplane and fly to the Dominican Republic, which was led by another U.S.-backed dictator and anti-Castro foe named Rafael Trujillo.
During the Revolutionary War, and during January 8th of 1959 when Fidel and Camilo arrived side-by-side in Havana as the new leaders of Cuba, they were the two most popular rebels in the minds of most everyday Cubans that hated the ousted Batista. Camilo was born in Havana on February 6th of 1932 but at the tender age of 27 in Revolutionary Cuba Camilo died on October 28 of 1959 in the crash of a small airplane during a coastal storm.
With Camilo right beside Fidel during his speech in Havana on January 8th of 1959, historic photos and videos reveal that a White Dove flew onto Fidel's left shoulder and stayed there a long time during his animated speech, and even the surprised Fidel kept glancing around to look at the unique flyer.
Also today -- on January 8th of 2024 -- TV newscasts across Cuba showed the portion of Fidel Castro's speech in which he spoke poignantly about one vital reason that the Cuban Revolution was so vital...pointing out that Cuban families not involved in the Batistianos-US-Mafia robbing and raping Cuba were left with not even crumbs and with no education and no healthcare. To buttress that portion of the January 8th of 1959 speech, Cuban television broadcasts today used images like the one above to illustrate the difference in Batista's Cuba as opposed to Castro's Cuba, with Castro on January 8th of 1959 for the first time in Havana promising that "everyone will, from now on, be guaranteed free educations through college and free heathcare for life."
And so...today -- January 8th of 2024 -- the 65th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution lavishly remembered the day on January 8th of 1959 when Camilo Cienfuegos and Fidel Castro arrived in Havana on the back of a truck to proclaim themselves the new rebel leaders of Cuba. Fate dictated that Camilo would soon die a few months later at age 27 in a plane crash on October 28th, 1959. But Fidel would live a long life as Cuba's revolutionary leader.
Although Fidel Castro died at age 90 in 2016, most Cubans in Cuba today on the 65th Anniversary of his takeover of Havana still believe on January 8th of 2024 that it is still his Cuban Revolution and his Cuba. Of course, since 1959 the Cubans in Miami and in Washington believe otherwise!!
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