Joseph Stalin is one of the most notorious dictators in history, and it was his ruthless attitude that transformed the Soviet Union into one of the biggest and most-feared superpowers. Here are 10 things you didn’t know about the man.

1. The Man of Steel

Joseph Stalin was born Ioseb Besarionis Jughashvili; however, he adopted the name Stalin, as it based on another Russian word that meant steel, with the name of the whole meaning “Man of Steel”. This name suited his stern attitude, and so many people often referred to him by the superhero-style name.

2. Air-Brushing

Stalin would regularly air-brush photographs as he was paranoid about the permanent scars on his face, which were a result of small pox as a child. He reportedly had several portrait artists shot for unflattering images of him.

3. Nobel Peace Prize

Stalin was responsible for the murder of millions of people from the Baltic regions under his reign. So it is rather surprising that he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1945 and 1948. He was also nominated for Time Magazine’s Person of the Year Twice – and so was Hitler!

4. Odd Logic

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Joseph Stalin valued one life more than a million, as he once said “A single death is a tragedy, a million dead is a statistic”. However, many people have argued whether he actually said the quote.

5. Westerns

The dictator was apparently a huge fan of American western movies, and would even host screenings for his friends in his private cinema – and he could understand it perfectly as he had his very own in-house translator.

6. Private Bed Chambers

Stalin made it clear to his guards that they were not allowed to enter his private bed chambers at any point, even if he was crying out. To test them, he pretended to scream in agony. As his guards came to his aid, they were all executed.

However, when Joseph Stalin did have a paralysing seizure in his bedroom, none of his guards dared enter his quarters. He was found by his Deputy Commandant of Kuntsevo and died within one week.

7. Ransom

When Joseph Stalin’s son was held to ransom by the Nazi’s, he refused to agree to give in to Hitler. The German leader threatened to torture the boy, but Stalin would not change his mind. His son therefore died in a German prison.

8. Hybrid Ape-man

Stalin wanted to create the world’s greatest soldier, and so ordered his best scientists to make a hybrid ape-man. His goal was to create a being that was physically strong but with an undeveloped brain so it was easily manipulated. As his top scientist, Ilya Ivanov, was unsuccessful, Stalin had him arrested and exiled to Kazakhstan.

9. Atherosclerosis

Stalin was willing to do whatever was necessary to ensure he was the most powerful man in the world. It wasn’t until after his death that we found out that he had been suffering from atherosclerosis, which is a build-up of fatty tissue in the brain – and it is believed this may have been the reason behind his cruel acts.

10. Russia

Stalin was as Russian as Hitler was German, as he was not actually born in Russia. The Man of Steel actually hailed from the country of Georgia. However, he did have an impact on his native country, as he played a major role in the forced imposition of the communist movement, as he would stop at nothing to spread Marxist thought to the masses.

What’s that? You want to read more historical articles? Okay, just go to 10 Reasons Why RMS Titanic Might Have Been Deliberately Sunk.