| 26 Jan 1918 |
Born, Oltenia, Romania. |
| Mar 1965 |
Becomes President of Romania. |
| Aug 1969 |
President Richard M. Nixon flies to Romania and meets with Nikolai Ceaucescu. |
| 17 Dec 1989 |
Orders troops to fire on anti-Communist demonstrators. |
| 22 Dec 1989 |
Ousted from the Romanian presidency in a popular uprising. |
25 Dec 1989 |
Executed by an eager firing squad, along with his wife, on live television. Ceaucescu had run Romania as his private communist fiefdom, gaining the animosity of nearly the entire population. Capital punishment was abolished immediately thereafter. |
