Vladimir Lenin changed the map of the world forever. You likely know him as the father of the Soviet Union and a serious revolutionary. However, his life was full of strange contradictions and odd habits. He spoke English like an Irishman and loved cats more than people. Furthermore, he was actually a nobleman who destroyed the nobility. His brain was even sliced into thousands of pieces for science. Let’s explore the life of the Bolshevik leader.
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Lenin actually spoke English with a distinct Irish accent. Surprisingly, he learned the language from an Irish tutor in London named Roddy. Therefore, the leader of the Russian Revolution sounded like he came from Dublin.
A Soviet television show once convinced the public that Lenin was a mushroom. Humorously, the reporter claimed that Lenin ate so many magic mushrooms that he became a fungus himself. Many viewers actually believed this bizarre prank in 1991.
He received a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1917. A Norwegian politician nominated him for taking Russia out of the First World War. However, the committee ultimately gave the award to the International Red Cross instead.
Scientists kept his brain in a laboratory for decades to study his genius. Specifically, a German neuroscientist cut the brain into 30,963 thin slices for examination. They hoped to find physical proof of his intelligence under a microscope.
He loved cats and often carried them around during political meetings. Rare photographs show the ruthless leader smiling gently while stroking a kitten. Consequently, his softer side appeared only when animals were in the room.
A plastic bust of Vladimir Lenin sits at the most remote point in Antarctica. Soviet explorers left the statue at the Pole of Inaccessibility in 1958. Today, the station is buried under snow, but his face still peers out.
He was actually a hereditary nobleman by birthright. His father worked as a high-ranking education official for the Tsar’s government. Thus, the man who destroyed the aristocracy was technically a member of it.
He adopted the name Lenin to hide his identity from the police. His real family name was Ulyanov. Historians believe he chose the new name after the Siberian river Lena, which flows near his exile site.
Doctors removed a bullet from his neck three years after an assassination attempt. A woman named Fanny Kaplan shot him in 1918 as he left a factory. Remarkably, he survived the attack and continued to work with the metal inside him.
He wore a wig and shaved his beard to escape to Finland. Police hunted him across the country, so he disguised himself as a Finnish railway worker. This clever costume saved his life and allowed him to plan the revolution.
His maternal grandfather was born into a Jewish family. However, the Soviet government kept this ancestry a complete secret for many years. They feared this information would damage his reputation among antisemitic groups.+1
He suffered from a speech defect known as rhotacism. This means he could not pronounce the “r” sound correctly in Russian. Nevertheless, he captivated massive crowds with his speeches despite this distinct lisp.
A dedicated team of biochemists still maintains his embalmed body today. They monitor the temperature and humidity of his tomb every single minute. Periodically, they wash the body in a special chemical bath to preserve it.
He originally studied to become a lawyer before he turned to revolution. He passed his law exams as an external student with top grades. However, he practiced law for only a short time before politics took over.
His older brother Alexander was executed for plotting to kill the Tsar. This tragedy deeply affected young Vladimir and radicalized his political views. Consequently, he swore to take a different path than his brother’s failed terrorism.
