The Man They Couldn't Kill: Fidel Castro's Unbelievable Dance with Death

When we talk about figures who seemed to possess more than nine lives, Fidel Castro often springs to mind. It's almost unbelievable, isn't it? The man, a symbol of revolution and defiance, reportedly faced an astonishing 638 assassination attempts throughout his tenure as Cuba's leader. Yet, against all conventional wisdom and the determined efforts of some of the world's most powerful intelligence agencies, he died not by a bullet or a bomb, but peacefully, of natural causes, at the age of 90.

Imagine living under that kind of constant threat. From the early days of his revolutionary triumph in 1959 right up until his eventual retirement, Castro was a primary target. The sheer number of plots against him paints a vivid picture of the Cold War's intensity and the profound animosity the United States held for its communist neighbour just 90 miles off its coast. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), in particular, seemed to dedicate an extraordinary amount of resources and imagination to ending his life.

And oh, the plots! They weren't just simple hit jobs; some were the stuff of spy thrillers, often bordering on the absurd. There was the infamous exploding cigar, a plan so bizarre it feels like it belongs in a cartoon. Then there was the poisoned wetsuit, allegedly laced with a potent fungus, intended for him as a gift. Other schemes included poisoned pills hidden in his favourite ice cream, a milkshake contaminated with lethal bacteria, or even using an exploding conch shell while he was scuba diving. One particular plot, a joint effort with the Mafia, involved poisoning his food at a Havana restaurant. It seems no method, however outlandish, was off the table.

One can only speculate about the psychological toll of living with such persistent danger. Perhaps it forged an unparalleled resilience, or maybe, in a strange way, it even contributed to his mystique. Castro became, for many, an almost unkillable figure, a living testament to revolutionary endurance. His longevity, despite the concerted efforts to remove him, became a significant part of his legend, both in Cuba and across the globe. It was a constant, unspoken taunt to his adversaries.

Ultimately, however, time did what countless assassins, poisons, and explosives could not. On November 25, 2016, the world learned that Fidel Castro had passed away. He died of natural causes, a stark, almost ironic contrast to the violent end so many had sought for him. His death marked the end of an era, a final chapter in a life defined by revolution, survival, and an extraordinary ability to defy the reaper, time and time again, until his very last breath.