Weirdest things dictators did you won't believe actually happened

Weirdest things dictators did you won't believe actually happened - 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.

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

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Hugo Chavez -

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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Abdalá Bucaram - 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!

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Abdalá Bucaram - 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.

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Saddam Hussein - The late Iraqi dictator believed he was destined by God to rule Iraq forever.

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Saddam Hussein -

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

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Kim Jong-il - 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.

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

8 / 31 Fotos

Muammar Gaddafi -

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

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Idi Amin -

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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Idi Amin - 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.

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Jean-Bédel Bokassa -

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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Jean-Bédel Bokassa -

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

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Joseph Stalin - 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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Mariano Melgarejo - 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.

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Mariano Melgarejo -

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

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António de Oliveira Salazar - 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.

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

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

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

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

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Saparmurat Niyazov - 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.

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

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

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

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

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Francisco Macias Nguema -

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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Francisco Macias Nguema -

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

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Getty Images

0 / 31 Fotos

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

1 / 31 Fotos

Hugo Chavez -

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.

Getty Images

2 / 31 Fotos

Abdalá Bucaram - 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!

3 / 31 Fotos

Abdalá Bucaram - 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.

4 / 31 Fotos

Saddam Hussein - The late Iraqi dictator believed he was destined by God to rule Iraq forever.

5 / 31 Fotos

Saddam Hussein -

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

6 / 31 Fotos

Kim Jong-il - 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.

7 / 31 Fotos

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

8 / 31 Fotos

Muammar Gaddafi -

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

Getty Images

9 / 31 Fotos

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

10 / 31 Fotos

Idi Amin -

Getty Images

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12 / 31 Fotos

Jean-Bédel Bokassa -

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

Getty Images

13 / 31 Fotos

Jean-Bédel Bokassa -

Getty Images

14 / 31 Fotos

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

15 / 31 Fotos

Joseph Stalin - 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.

16 / 31 Fotos

17 / 31 Fotos

Mariano Melgarejo -

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

Getty Images

18 / 31 Fotos

19 / 31 Fotos

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

20 / 31 Fotos

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

21 / 31 Fotos

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

22 / 31 Fotos

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

23 / 31 Fotos

24 / 31 Fotos

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

25 / 31 Fotos

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

26 / 31 Fotos

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

27 / 31 Fotos

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

28 / 31 Fotos

Francisco Macias Nguema -

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.

Getty Images

29 / 31 Fotos

Francisco Macias Nguema -

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

Getty Images

30 / 31 Fotos

Weirdest things dictators did you won't believe actually happened

You won't believe the crazy things these dictators did

12/02/25 | 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.