| July 1953 | Fidel Castro attacks | Fulgencio Batista was the ruler of Cuba. Fidel Castro led an uprising against him by attacking the military barracks at Santiago de Cuba. |
| October 1953 | Castro stands up for himself | After getting criticized for the Santiago attack, Fidel Castro made a speech. He said what he had done was right. |
| 1954 | Cuba gets a president | Fulgencio Batista made himself the president. He was now the sole leader of the country. |
| 1955 | Castro is released from prison | After being put in prison for his actions, Fidel is released by President Batista. Fidel Castro and his brother go to Mexico. |
| June 1955 | The Castro brothers meet Che Guevara | The Castro brothers met Che Guevara in Mexico. He helped stir them up to continue their cause. |
| 1956 | They return to Cuba | The Castro brothers took Che Guevara and 80 other insurgents on a boat. They returned to Cuba. |
| January 1957 | Their first victory | When they arrived in Cuba they quickly took over an army outpost on the coast. Their victory spurred others in the country to take their side. |
| 1957 | The revolutionary movement catches on | More people joined Fidel Castro's side as the year moved on. College students stormed the presidential palace and protestors were killed in the streets. |
| 1958 | The US boycotts Cuba | The United States stopped sending aid to Cuba because of the brutal fighting between its people. |
| April 1958 | A country-wide strike | The people flocked behind Fidel Castro, so when he told them to quit working, they all went on strike. It hurt the country's economy. |
| May 1958 | The president takes a stand | President Batista sent an army of 10,000 men to fight against Fidel Castro. Castro's small army defeated Batista's larger one. |
| November 1958 | A plane is hijacked | A Cuban plane flying out of Miami, FL, was hijacked. The hijackers wanted to use the plane to deliver weapons to Fidel Castro's troops. |
| January 1959 | Castro's forces advance | Fidel Castro leads his troops into Havana, and the president flees the city. |
| February 1959 | A new government is set up | The rebel leader Fidel Castro became the Prime Minister, and elections were set up to elect other officials. |
| April 1959 | Castro visits the US | The people in America greeted Castro like a hero, but some were nervous around him because they had heard he was a communist. They later learn they were right. |
