▲Abdalá Bucaram was nicknamed "El Loco" ("The Madman") for many reasons, including paying soccer legend Diego Maradona US$1 million to play a game with him.

▲Some presidents settle for an acceptance speech when they're elected, but Ecuador's former president celebrated his victory onstage by doing an Elvis impersonation!

▲The late Venezuelan president invested funds in the most bizarre programs while his country ran out of basic goods such as toilet paper.

▲General Mariano Melgarejo ruled Bolivia in the late 19th century. He's known to have forced the British ambassador to drink a bowl of cocoa until he vomited, and then he tied him up on a donkey.

▲Idi Amin was obsessed with Scotland. He wore a kilt, claimed the Scottish throne, and offered to marry Queen Elizabeth. The movie 'The Last King of Scotland,' starring Forest Whitaker (pictured), tells his story.

▲Under the rule of 'Estado Novo' (Portuguese dictatorship) it was illegal to use a lighter without a license. This was supposedly done to protect the Portuguese match industry.

▲The then Prime Minister, Salazar, was also responsible for banning Coca-Cola from Portugal in the 1950s.

▲The former President of Haiti, also known as "Papa Doc," claimed to be the Voodoo spirit of death, Baron Samedi.

▲He claimed to have caused President John F. Kennedy's death in 1963 through the use of a Voodoo doll.

▲The former President of Turkmenistan thought highly of himself. He wrote a book and made it a compulsory read in mosques and schools.

▲And if that wasn't enough, he actually renamed the months of the year! Niyazov named January "Turkmenbashi," which means "Head of all the Turkmen," a name he liked to call himself.

▲The former President of the Dominican Republic, also known as "El Jefe" ("The Boss"), renamed the capital, roads, bridges, and even mountains after him.

▲As crazy as it might sound, Trujillo appointed his 3-year-old son Ramfis as a colonel in the Dominican Army.

▲He did make a good investment at the time and bought shares of the Italian soccer club, Juventus.

▲The former President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo prohibited anyone else to wear leopard-print hats.

▲Mobutu organized a boxing event called The Rumble in the Jungle, and paid Muhammad Ali and George Foreman US$5 million each to fight.

▲Although his son now gets all the credit for the insane things that happen in North Korea, Kim Jong-il was also responsible for a quite a few.

▲Kim Jong-il claimed to have invented the Gogigyeopbbang, which translates to "double bread with meat." Yes, it's essentially a hamburger.

▲No one was authorized to enter the former leader of the Soviet Union's bedroom under any circumstances.

▲This measure proved to be fatal, as Stalin died of a stroke in his room alone, without anyone daring to enter his private chambers to check on him.

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Saddam Hussein used an Arabic version of the popular Whitney Houston song 'I Will Always Love You' during his presidential campaign.

▲The late Iraqi dictator believed he was destined by God to rule Iraq forever.

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He also taught his horse, named Holofernes, to drink beer and urinate on people.

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One of these projects was Venezuela's own cell phone, the "Vergatario." The word "verga" in Spanish is slang for men's private parts, which caused a lot of controversy.

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On 1966 Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa overthrew the president of Central Africa, David Dacko (who was his cousin) and became a ruler.

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The late Libyan leader, Colonel Gaddafi, had a group of female bodyguards protecting him. But there's a twist—they were all virgins.

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Idi Amin wasn't happy with the title "President of Uganda," so he changed it to: "His Excellency, President for Life, Field Marshal Al Hadji Doctor Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Seas and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular"

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The self-proclaimed "Emperor Bokassa I of Central Africa" was tried for numerous crimes and sentenced to death, but in the end he was eventually released. Bokassa then started calling himself the 13th Apostle of Christ.

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The first President of Equatorial Guinea also decided to change his title. He thought that "Grand Master of Education, Science, and Culture" would be more appropriate.

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Nguema is known to have banned the word "intellectual."

▲Dictators are known for oppressing entire nations with their ruthless regimes. In this gallery you'll find some of the weirdest things these dictators did. You will seriously question where these ideas came from after looking through this gallery. Check it out.

Weirdest things dictators did you won't believe actually happened

You won't believe the crazy things these dictators did

12/02/25 por StarsInsider

LIFESTYLE Bizarre

Dictators are known for oppressing entire nations with their ruthless regimes. In this gallery you'll find some of the weirdest things these dictators did. You will seriously question where these ideas came from after looking through this gallery. Check it out.