📅 26 Juli 1953
Young opponents of Fulgencio Batista gathered before dawn for coordinated attacks in Oriente. The action challenged a dictatorship created by the 1952 military coup.
📅 26 Juli 1953
A force led by Fidel Castro attacked the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba. The failed assault later gave its date and symbolism to the July 26 Movement.
📅 26 Juli 1953
A group led by Abel Santamaría took the Saturnino Lora Civil Hospital as part of the Moncada plan. Many participants were captured after the assault failed.
📅 26 Juli 1953
Abel Santamaría, a principal organizer of the operation, was captured and later killed in custody during the repression following Moncada.