...that actor César Romero, most famous for playing The Joker in the Batman TV series, always claimed with pride that he was Cuban national hero José Martí's grandson? But that no firm evidence has been provided to support his claim?
...that at twelve years old, Fidel Castro wrote a letter (pictured) to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt expressing his admiration and asking for a $10 bill?
... that Baracoa in eastern Cuba (pictured) is located on the spot where Christopher Columbus landed in Cuba on his first voyage, and is not only the oldest Spanish settlement in Cuba but also its first capital?
... that Casas particulares(pictured) are private family establishments that provide paid lodging, usually on a short-term basis, for tourists and other visitors to Cuba?
...that Carlos Manuel de Céspedes(pictured) is known as Padre de la Patria, (English:Father of the Homeland) in Cuba, having declared the nation's independence from Spain in 1868?
... that Spanish general Valeriano Weyler(pictured) devised a reconcentration plan for Cubans in 1897 that is believed to be the origin of the tactic of concentration camps used during the 20th century?
...that soon after the Cuban Revolution of 1959, Fidel Castro pledged to underwrite the debts of the Havana Sugar Kings baseball team, by playing an exhibition contest between his own pickup squad Los Barbudos ("The Bearded Ones") and a military police team?
...that John Lennon Park is a public space in the Vedado district in Havana, that contains a lifesize bronze sculpture of the former Beatles member (pictured)?
...that competitions for the design of José Martí Memorial(pictured) in Havana, Cuba started in 1939, but the design that was finally constructed in 1953 was a variation on a design that had come in third in the fourth competition?
...that Raúl Martínez was a Cuban painter, designer and graphic artist best known for colorful pop-art portraits of leading Cuban political figures including José Martí and Camilo Cienfuegos?
...that there was, on average, one aircraft hijacking incident every eleven days in 1969 involving flights from United States being forcibly redirected to Cuba?
...that actor César Romero, most famous for playing The Joker in the Batman TV series, always claimed with pride that he was Cuban national hero José Martí's grandson? But that no firm evidence has been provided to support his claim?
...that when the Banking sector in Cuba came under the control of the new regime after the Cuban Revolution of 1959, Fidel Castro asked if there were an economista in the room during an inaugural meeting? And that Che Guevara put his hand up mistakenly believing the request was for a communista, and subsequently became President of the National Bank of Cuba?
...that El Benny is a Cuban film released in 2006, based on the life of the famous Cuban musician Benny Moré and featuring new versions of his songs performed by musicians including Chucho Valdes, Juan Formell, Haila and Orishas?
...that La Coubre was a French vessel carrying munitions from the port of Antwerp in 1960, which exploded while it was being unloaded in Havana harbor leaving at least 75 dead?
...that Tomás Gutiérrez Alea was a Cuban filmmaker who wrote and directed more than 20 features, documentaries, and short films, and is known for his sharp insight into post-Revolutionary Cuba?
... that Kid Chocolate became Cuba's first world boxing champion in 1931. On his retirement in 1938, he had a record of 135 wins, 9 losses and 6 draws? And that he was later recognized by the International Boxing Hall Of Fame?
...that in 1900, the Cuban baseball league began admitting black players, thus some of the best players from the Northern American Negro Leagues relocated to Cuba to play in the integrated teams?
... that the Cuban convertible peso was introduced as one of two official currencies in Cuba to replace the US dollar, which was removed from circulation in 2004?
...that the Guanajatabey were indigenous inhabitants of Cuba, that lived on the island since at least 1000 B.C.? And that they were forced to the western point of the island by the arrival of the Ciboney people?
...that Arsenio Rodríguez, a Cuban musician and top band leader who developed the son montuno in the 1920s, was blind for most of his life having been kicked by a horse as a child?
...that Baconao, a large park region, located about 20 kilometers away from the city of Santiago de Cuba, was declared a World Heritage Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO?
...that Santa María del Mar is one of a chain of beaches called the Eastern Beaches (Spanish: Playas del Este) which extend for 15 miles along the north coast of Havana province? And that it is a very popular spot for tourists?
...that Havana Club is sold outside Cuba in conjunction with the Pernod Ricard drinks company, but is not sold in the United States due to the ongoing embargo on Cuban products?
...that the habanera is a musical genre from Cuba with a characteristic "Habanera rhythm"? And that it is one of the oldest mainstays of Cuban music and the first of the dances from Cuba to be exported all over the world?
...that Narciso López fled Cuba for New York City in 1848 after a failed attempt to create a revolt among Cuban planters, and attempted three times to raise filibuster expeditions to invade Cuba from the U.S.?
...that Eastern Cuban cuisine forms the basis of criollo cooking, which shares a great deal of recipes with other Caribbean cuisines, but has the distinctive difference of making almost no use of peppers?
...that the music for the song Guantanamera is regularly attributed to José Fernández Díaz in the 1920s, but that pianist Herminio "El Diablo" García Wilson also claimed to have written the song? And that the matter was only resolved decades later, when García's heirs lost their case at the Supreme Court of Cuba?
...that Cubana de Aviación's Tropicana Special flights, which began in 1956, ferried club customers from Miami to the Tropicana Club in Havana and returned them to Florida at 4am the following morning?
...that a year after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Cuban economy entered what became known as the Special Period, and was restricted to importing and utilizing only around 10% of the crude oil of the previous year?
...that rights to oil and natural gas in the Straits of Florida were divided between the United States and Cuba by a 1977 treaty, and that geological studies project substantial reserves?
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