Boris Yeltsin was born on this day in 1931. Today he is 76 years old.
Boris Yeltsin was Russia's first president. He presided over the Russian Federation from 1991-1999. You can find Yeltsin as the presiding figure in lots of tourist kitsch - like matryushka dolls (he'll be followed by ever-smaller Communist leaders - from Gorbochev all the way down to Lenin). His full gray head of hair distinguishes him from his birthmarked predecessor.
Yeltsin is best remembered for capturing a majority of the vote in a democratic-style election in 1991. This was the year the KGB archives began to be purged. Yeltsin is also remembered for alcoholism and ill health, which are thought to have helped decrease his popularity and destabalize the government. Especially in his latter years as President of Russia, the media often speculated about his drunkenness - it was either that or other debilitating health problems that landed him in the hospital more often than many other political leaders. He reportedly suffered from five heart attacks during this time.
Boris Yeltsin is still alive and kicking. Perhaps he has cut down on his alcohol intake - Yeltsin was sober during a 2004 trip to an Armenian distillery, during which he was presented with his weight in brandy.
Yeltsin also has a grandson who shares his grandfather's name.
