Fidel Castro
A poster of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro in Havana. Reuters/Desmond Boylan

Since Fidel Castro overthrew Cuba’s U.S.-friendly dictator in 1959, relations between the two countries have been strained because of crises associated with the Bay of Pigs invasion, a nuclear standoff involving the former Soviet Union and the Elián González custody battle. Here is a brief history on the occasion of President Barack Obama’s historic trip to the island nation.