Haile Selassie

1892 – 1975 · died at about 83^[1][2]

Politics & Leadership

Fun Facts About Haile Selassie

• Haile Selassie was born Tafari Makonnen, and the Rastafari movement is named after his pre-imperial name, Ras Tafari; "Ras" was a title equivalent to duke.^[1]
• When Selassie visited Jamaica in 1966, about 100,000 Rastafari crowded the airport, and he could not come down the plane's steps until a Rasta leader negotiated his descent.^[1]
• Although many Rastafari regard him as divine, Selassie belonged to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and denied his alleged divinity in a 1967 interview with the CBC.^[1]
• Selassie spent his years of exile from 1936 to 1941 in Bath, England, at Fairfield House, which he later gave to the city as a residence for the elderly.^[1]
• Time named Selassie its Man of the Year for 1935. Though fluent in French, he chose to give his famous 1936 League of Nations speech in Amharic.^[1]
• On a 1924 visit to Jerusalem, Selassie adopted 40 Armenian orphans of the Armenian Genocide, who went on to form Ethiopia's imperial brass band.^[1]
• Haile Selassie was alive at the same time as Elon Musk — their lives overlapped for 4 years (1971–1975).^[1][2][3][4]
• Haile Selassie shares a birthday with Vera Rubin: both were born on July 23.^[1][2][5][6]

Haile Selassie I was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as the Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia under Empress Zewditu between 1916 and 1930.^[1]

Contemporaries

Georgia O'Keeffe

83 yr overlap

Charlie Chaplin

83 yr overlap

Agatha Christie

83 yr overlap

Chiang Kai-shek

83 yr overlap

Mao Zedong

82 yr overlap

Pablo Picasso

81 yr overlap

J.R.R. Tolkien

81 yr overlap

Harry S. Truman

80 yr overlap

Igor Stravinsky

79 yr overlap

Coco Chanel

79 yr overlap

Charles de Gaulle

78 yr overlap

Bertrand Russell

78 yr overlap

Their World

Questions About Haile Selassie

When was Haile Selassie born?

Haile Selassie was born on July 23, 1892, and died on August 27, 1975.

How old was Haile Selassie at death?

Haile Selassie was born on July 23, 1892, and died on August 27, 1975, at age 83.

What was Haile Selassie known for?

Haile Selassie was known for: Emperor of Ethiopia, Rastafari symbol. Haile Selassie I was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as the Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia under Empress Zewditu between 1916 and 1930.

Who was alive at the same time as Haile Selassie?

Haile Selassie's closest contemporary was Georgia O'Keeffe. Their lives overlapped for 83 years.