Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam's revolutionary leader

iIt is the birthday of Ho Chi Minh (1890), Vietnam’s communist revolutionary leader who sought to free his country from French colonial rule. He served as prime minister for 10 years in the late 1940s and early 1950s. He served a president for 24 years, beginning in 1945. As a young man, Ho lived abroad in France, Great Britain, the United States, and Russia, absorbing various cultures and learning how to mount a revolution. He was living in Paris when President Woodrow Wilson was there to present his ideas about forming the League of Nations. Ho tried unsuccessfully to meet with Wilson to discuss Ho’s ideas for liberating Vietnam from French colonial oppression. However, he found a sympathetic ear in Moscow and soon embraced communism. Here is a fascinating program from the History Channel about Ho Chi Minh.