See how Cuba looked before the Castros, when tourists, gamblers, and elites flocked to Havana

Cuba before the revolution was a popular tourist destination, and Havana was a bustling metropolis. Hulton Archive/Getty Images Before 1959, Cuba was one of the most developed but unequal countries in Latin America. Havana dazzled American and global tourists with casinos, cabarets, and luxury hotels. Rural Cubans often faced poverty and seasonal unemployment, leading to the rise of Fidel Castro. On New Year's Eve 1958, when the sun set on Cuba, it was one of the Caribbean's most glamorous ...