FULGENCIO BATISTA

Today is July 26, known in Cuba as “el 26 de Julio.” The date is sacred on the communist island: political parties, streets, schools and neighborhoods carry its name.

In many ways, Cuba’s new maximum leader is nothing like those who have governed the island for the past six decades.

Raul Castro says he is stepping down as Cuban Communist Party leader, leaving the island without a Castro guiding affairs for the first time in more than six decades and handing control of the party to a younger generation.

For most of his life, Raul Castro played second-string to his brother Fidel — first as a guerrilla commander, later as a senior figure in their socialist government.

For most of his life, Raul Castro played second-string to his brother Fidel — first as a guerrilla commander, later as a senior figure in their socialist government.