Che Guevara

**Ernesto "Che" Guevara**, commonly known as **el Che** or **Che**  (June 14, 1928 - October 9, 1967) was an Argentine Marxist, revolutionary, physician, author, guerrilla, diplomat, and military theorist. He is popular with socialists. In addition to that he was a writer and some of his articles and speeches were even published.

Time magazine said he was one of the most influential people of the 20th century. Guevara's face, with his thick black hair, scruffy beard and familiar beret, has been printed on T-shirts, walls and banners. _Guerrillero Heroico, _a picture of him, is called "the most famous photograph in the world."

## Biography

Che Guevara was born in Rosario, Argentina in 1928. He studied at the University of Buenos Aires. He wanted to be a doctor. During his holidays, he traveled. He saw how poor some people were. He thought that revolution could fix it.

After college, he went to Mexico. He met Fidel Castro there in 1954. Castro was planning a rebellion in Cuba. Guevara joined Castro. He fought with Castro in Cuba. In 1959, Fidel won and became president of Cuba. Fidel and Guevara declared Cuba a communist country. Guevara was made head of Cuba's bank. He later became Minister of Industry. In 1965, Guevara helped to start other revolutions. They were in Congo-Kinshasa and Bolivia. In 1967, he was captured and executed by Bolivian soldiers. His body was not found until 1997. His nickname among friends was "Chegi Vara".

## Che in popular culture

People have different opinions on Che Guevara. Some see him as a good leader. In addition to that he was an excellent writer and some of his articles and speeches were even published. Others see him as a bad man who wanted to hurt people. A black and white image of Guevara's face is one of the most merchandized images. It can be found on many items. They include t-shirts, hats, posters, and other items. The image was based on a photograph by Alberto Korda Díaz. Díaz was a Cuban photographer. It was taken in 1960.

Guevara is still an important person. He is seen as an example of youthful rebellion.

A movie, _The Motorcycle Diaries_, is about Che. It describes a trip that he took through South America. The trip took place in the 1950s. The movie was directed by Walter Salles. It was produced by Robert Redford.

## Other websites

- <cite id=refBBCNews2001a> BBC News (January 17, 2001). "Profile: Laurent Kabila". Accessed April 10, 2008.</cite>
- <cite id=refBBCNews2001b> BBC News (May 26, 2001). _Che Guevara photographer dies_. Accessed January 4, 2006.</cite>
- <cite id=refBBCNews2007> BBC News (October 9, 2007). "Cuba pays tribute to Che Guevara". _BBC News, International version_.</cite>
- <cite id=refLacey2007a> Lacey, Mark (October 26, 2007). "Lone Bidder Buys Strands of Che's Hair at U.S. Auction". _New York Times_.</cite>
- <cite id=refLacey2007b> Lacey, Mark (October 9, 2007). "A Revolutionary Icon, and Now, a Bikini". _The New York Times_.</cite>
- <cite id=refOHagan2004> O'Hagan, Sean (July 11, 2004). "Just a pretty face?". _The Guardian_. Accessed October 25, 2006.</cite>

## Infobox (person)

- **name**: Ernesto Guevara
- **image**: Che Guevara - Guerrillero Heroico by Alberto Korda.jpg
- **caption**: Che Guevara's iconic image
- **birth name**: Ernesto Guevara
- **birth place**: Rosario, Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe, Argentina
- **death place**: La Higuera, Vallegrande Province, Vallegrande, Bolivia