#Cuba
Antes de 1959 Cuba era uno de los países más desarrollados de América Latina y mostraba índices socioeconómicos superiores a los de muchas regiones del centro de EEUU o el sur de Europa, zonas de referencia para el cubano de a pie, que no solía compararse con sus homólogos de América Central o del Caribe. 1- El primer sistema de alumbrado público de toda Iberoamérica (incluyendo España) se instaló en Cuba en 1889. 2- Cuba fue la primera nación de Iberoamérica y tercera del mundo (tras Inglaterra y EEUU) que tuvo ferrocarril, en 1837. 3- Cuba fue la primera nación de Iberoamérica que aplico anestesia con éter en 1847. 4- La primera demostración mundial de una industria… More
1-The first public lighting system in all Iberoamerica (including Spain) was installed in Cuba in 1889. 2-Cuba was the first nation of Iberoamerica and third in the world (after England and the US) to have railway in 1837. 3-Cuba was the first nation in Iberoamerica to apply anesthesia with ether in 1847. 4-The first global demonstration of an electricity-driven industry was in Havana in 1877. 5-The first tram known in Latin America, circulated in Havana in 1900. 6-Also in 1900, before any other country in Latin America arrived in Havana the first car. 7-The first city in the world to have direct dial phone (no operator required) was Havana in 1906. 8-In 1907, the first X-ray department of Iberoamerica premiered in Havana. 9-In 1922, Cuba was the second nation in the world to inaugurate a radio station, PWX, and the first nation in the world to radiate a music concert and present a radio newscast. By 1928 Cuba already had 61 radio stations, 43 of them in Havana, taking fourth place in the world, surpassed only by the US, Canada and the Soviet Union. In 1935 Cuba became the largest exporter for Iberoamerica of librettos and radial recordings. READ ALSO 10-In 1925, with less than 200 plants, the nascent Cuban nation made more than 5 million tons of sugar. At that time most of the ingenuities and farms were in the hands of foreigners, but already by the end of the 1950 s, of the 161 plants working, 131 were owned by Cubans with 60 % of total production. 11-The Central Delicias became the largest in Cuba, with a ground capacity of 780 cane paddles per day. In 1952 it produced 1 sacks of sugar. 12-In 1937, Cuba decrees for the first time in Iberoamerica the eight-hour workday act, minimum wage and university autonomy. 13-In 1940, Cuba approved the most advanced of all the constitutions of the world at that time. She was the first in Ibero America to recognize women’s right to vote, equal rights between sexes and races, and women’s right to work. 14-The first country in the world to build a hotel with central air conditioning was Cuba. It was the Riviera Hotel in 1951. And also the world’s first building built with armed concrete was made in Havana: The Focsa, in 1952. 15-In 1954 Cuba owned one cow per inhabitant, and occupied third place in Iberoamerica (after Argentina and Uruguay) in the consumption of per capita meat. How prosperous was Cuba before 1959? READ ALSO 16-In 1955 Cuba was the second country in Iberoamerica with lowest infant mortality: 33.4 per thousand born. 17-In 1956 the UN recognized Cuba as the second country of Iberoamerica with the lowest illiteracy rate (only 23.6 %). Haiti had 90 %, Spain, El Salvador, Bolivia, Venezuela Brazil, Peru, Guatemala and Dominican Republic, 50 %. 18-In 1957, the UN also recognized Cuba as the best country in Iberoamerica in number of doctors per capita (1 per 957 inhabitants), with the highest percentage of electrified housing (82.9 %). ) and homes with own bathrooms (79.9 %) and second country (after Uruguay) in daily calorie consumption per capita. 19-In 1957 Havana became the second city in the world to have 3 D and multi-screen films (Cinema Radio, now Yara) 20-In 1958, according to Cuba’s Statistic Yearbook, there were 7 public primary schools (free) and 869 private primary schools, or 8 in total. Of the public schools, 1 206 were on the field. In the mid-50 s, public education had 25 teachers, and private education had 3 times more public teachers than private ones. 21-In 1958 Cuba was the second country in the world to broadcast color television. 22-In 1958 Cuba is the country of Iberoamerica with the most cars (160 thousand, one per 38 inhabitants) and the sixth in the world in the average car per inhabitants. 23-Cuba was the country with the most appliances in 1958 The country with the most miles of rail lines per square mile, and the total number of radio receivers. 24-Despite its small size and had only 6,5 million inhabitants in 1958 Cuba ranked 29th among the world’s largest economies. What would have happened then if Cuba had followed the democratic path that Batista twisted and respected the 40 Constitution? Can you imagine the development that Cuba would have today? ·