We already brought you part one of our list of 15 things you probably did not know about Che Guevara, and now we’re back with part two! Check out eight more fascinating facts about the Marxist revolutionary that you definitely (probably) did not know below. You might be surprised by what you find out!
Number Eight: He Was a Fan of Mass Executions. Guevara believed in the use of mass executions to obtain true justice and socialist liberation. Though Guevara was a trained doctor, he was able to detach himself emotionally when it came to violent behavior.
Number Seven: The Photographer of That One Picture Earned Nothing. You know the picture – the one that has been seen on countless shirts and posters everywhere. Well, Alberto Korda, who took the photo, has earned nothing from it. Korda, however, never demanded recognition or royalties from the photo except on one occasion when Smirnoff tried to use it in advertisements.
Number Six: He Became a Saint. When Guevara died, he was subsequently raised to sainthood. For his communist efforts and revolutionary actions, Guevara is revered and sanctified in Cuban culture, and South American depictions of Christ tend to bear a strange resemblance to Guevara.
Number Five: He Was The Butcher of La Cabana. Guevara earned the nickname of “The Butcher of Cabana” after he was appointed to be the head of La Cabana and began ordering thousands of executions.
Number Four: He Had Expensive Hair. Though Guevara’s body and possessions were quickly ransacked after he was executed, one Cuban CIA Operative was able to take a lock of his hair. He sold the lock of hair in 2007 at an auction for $100,000.
Number Three: He Was Not Celibate. Though many people think of revolutionary leaders and military officials as being too busy or too “official” to have time for sexual forays, Guevara had time to father several children.
Number Two: His Executioners Are Cursed. One myth surrounding Guevara’s execution is that his executioners were cursed when they killed him. President Rene Barrientos, who ordered Guevara’s execution, died in a helicopter crash in 1969. General Joaquin Zenteno, who was involved with Guevara’s capture, was assassinated in Paris in 1975. In 1991, another person involved in Guevara’s execution was paralyzed after a gun accident.
Number One: He Wasn’t a Bad Boy. Though Guevara is often portrayed as a renegade revolutionary, the reality is that many of his actions were calculated, and he was not as much of a “bad boy” as many people think.