Alright folks, grab your popcorn and buckle up because we are about to time travel to the era of Tito, the man who put a full stop to Stalin’s killing spree with just a letter.

He wrote to Stalin:

Stop sending assassins, we have already caught six, because I will have to send one and I will not need to send another one. After that, no other assassin was sent. Talk about persuasive writing skills.

As we ride this crazy rollercoaster called Tito’s life, it’s safe to say there’s more than just 40 amazing facts about this legend:

1. Josip Broz, better known as Tito, was born on May 7, 1892, in Kumrovec, Croatia.
2. He was the seventh child of his parents. Talk about a lucky number!
3. Tito was a skilled metalworker, having apprenticed in his teenage years.
4. He served in the Austro-Hungarian Army during World War I and was the only one of his unit to survive a battle in Russia. Phew!
5. Post-WWI, he became heavily involved in the Communist Party.
6. Tito married thrice. He sure had a thing for wedding cake!
7. He fought against the Nazis as the leader of the Yugoslav Partisans, the most effective resistance group in occupied Europe.
8. Tito became Prime Minister of Yugoslavia in 1943 and its president in 1953.
9. He always kept a German Shepherd as a pet. During the Battle of Sutjetska, his dog Luks saved his life by jumping on a thrown bomb. In honor of Tiger, he always kept a German Shepherd by his side.
10. In 1948, Tito had a major fallout with Stalin, which came to be known as the Tito-Stalin split.
11. After six unsuccessful assassination attempts, Tito wrote Stalin a savage letter. He asked Stalin to stop sending assassins or he’d send one successful one to Moscow.
12. Tito was the founder and driving force behind the Non-Aligned Movement.
13. His regime was characterized by a unique blend of socialism and self-management, which came to be known as Titoism.
14. Tito was a notorious cigar smoker, always opting for Cubans. He is notably the only known president who smoked in the White House. And yes, you guessed it, his preference was for Cuban cigars. This was at a time when they were forbidden in the U.S., and the U.S. and Cuba were on the brink of war. Talk about a personality!
15. He was an animal lover and had a zoo at his residence on the Brijuni Islands.
16. Tito was the first communist leader to defy Soviet hegemony.
17. He was one of the few people to have a private audience with Pope Paul VI.
18. He was known for his panache and loved luxury items, especially his customized Blue Train.
19. His funeral was attended by delegates from 128 countries, making it one of the largest state funerals in history.
20. Ah, Tito, what a character! He peddled a non-existent Yugoslav space program to NASA for a cool $2.5 billion. That’s like selling ice to an Eskimo, except that the ice isn’t real. It’s a feat of salesmanship that makes even the most ambitious telemarketer green with envy. NASA was probably expecting rockets and interstellar technology, but all they got was a metaphorical IOU note and a hearty Slavic chuckle. That’s the art of the deal, Yugoslavia style!
21. Tito had a penchant for women. He once famously said, “I am the leader of one country which has two alphabets, three languages, four religions, five nationalities, six republics, surrounded by seven neighbours, a country in which live eight ethnic minorities.”
22. He was multilingual and could speak Croatian, German, English, Russian, Czech, and French.
23. He reportedly survived a plane crash in 1966.
24. Tito’s mausoleum in Belgrade, known as the House of Flowers, is a popular tourist attraction.
25. His death on May 4, 1980, led to a decade of political instability in Yugoslavia, culminating in the Yugoslav Wars in the 1990s.
26. Tito was a film enthusiast and even established a film production company, Avala Film.
27. His relationship with Stalin was famously portrayed in the movie “Tito and Me.”
28. Tito was an avid hunter and had a collection of over 400 hunting trophies.
29. He was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize in 1973.
30. Tito loved his blue 1972 Cadillac Eldorado so much that he had it transported to his various residences.
31. He was an amateur filmmaker and has a few war documentaries to his name.
32. Tito was a nature lover. After all, he proclaimed Plitvice Lakes as a national park.
33. He had a passion for sailing and was a regular participant in the Brioni sailing regatta.
34. Tito had an estranged relationship with his son, Mišo Broz.
35. He was a football enthusiast and was known to have watched games incognito amongst the fans.
36. His decision to defy the Soviets led to an economic blockade, which Yugoslavia survived due to a large loan from the U.S.
37. Tito visited India four times and was instrumental in strengthening India-Yugoslavia relations.
38. Tito was one of the most decorated world leaders, with over 98 international decorations.
39. He was a prolific author and has over 110 works to his name.
40. Even though Tito is long gone, ‘Titoism’ remains a significant ideology in the socialist world.

This list can go on and on, and it would take days to read. Such is the larger-than-life persona that Tito possessed.

The factory tried to replicate it but alas, the mold was broken and so, there will never be another Tito. And let’s face it, who else could dare to ask Stalin to “please stop sending assassins, I’m trying to have a peaceful breakfast here.” Only Tito could, and he did it with a flair that would make even James Bond envious.