In a country known for its sugar production, the Cuban strongman’s well-known fondness for a particular type of chocolate milkshake might very well have led to his demise had the CIA been a little more on top of its game. Among the approximately 600 assassination attempts the CIA is believed to have set in motion against Castro, one infamous failure called for covert agents to sneak poisoned aspirin into El Presidente’s daily chocolate shake. And while they succeeded in getting the poison into the beverage, an overeager servant inadvertently foiled the plan by putting the shake in a freezer to keep it cold. Unfortunately, it froze and Cuba’s temperamental dictator dictated a new one.

Fidel Castro appeared as an uncredited extra in the 1946 film Holiday in Mexico.

At the time, Castro was attending the University of Havana (the real college also attended by I Love Lucy’s fictitious Ricky Ricardo). The future El Commandante graduated four years later with a law degree. After forming a strong bond with the USSR, he became one of the most feared men in America during the time of the Cuban missile crisis.

Despite his 40+ years in power, the end of the Cold War caused a radical change in the scope of his power. Fidel Castro is no longer the imposing international figure that he was in his heyday.