On October 21, 1965, at the end of the activities for the 5^th Anniversary of the integration of the Cuban Youth Movement, and at the opening of the First National Sports Games, President Fidel Castro Ruz announced the birth of a new paper whose historical antecedents were Mella magazine and the Diario de la Tarde. This new-born publication had to digest and continue the strong and exemplary traditions of the young Cuban press in the course of our history.

That memorable day in Pedro Marrero stadium, Fidel spoke to UJC (Young Communist League) militants from western provinces and the name Juventud Rebelde became a symbiosis of the names proposed and was unanimous and democratically approved. Since then, its pages have caught the most transcendental events from Cuba and abroad.

The first issue appeared on October 22, 1965. It had 16 tabloid shaped pages and was printed in three colors (red, blue and black). It kept that format for three months, until January 14, 1966, when the 65 000 copies of the first issue were reduced to 45 000. One month later, the issue took a bigger format, and increased to 80 000 copies, in which 8, 10 and 12 pages were edited. Al the time, JR circulated as an evening paper in the capital and a morning paper in the rest of the Island, with two issues: the first of them for the provinces inside the country, and the second for Havana (although they could be considered one single issue, because Havana’s extra features were the movie section and the other billboard spectacles).

In that period, JR had a large amount of producers, designers, and sketch artists who worked together with the team of Pionero, a publication located in the same building. This made possible the edition of supplements as El Sable (humoristic and critical art, November 15, 1965) and El Caimán Barbudo (cultural, January 1966), that later became an independent publication. The humoristic supplement La Chicharra replaced El Sable for a short time, and on February 25, 1966, Dedeté began to be edited by a group of humorists trained by JR.

During the first month of 1968,the intense presswork of two issues finally started: one for Havana (in the evening) and the other throughout the country (in the morning).

In addition to this, Juventud Rebelde published several special issues such as the one for the 7^th Anniversary of the integration of the Cuban Youth Movement (that used four colors, in October 1967); Mexico City Olympic Games, in 1968; Apollo 11; Lunajod I; and the 11th World Festival of Youth and Students (with 48 pages and four colors); etc.

On June 1st, 1969, JR stopped being published on Saturdays in order to circulate on Sundays as a morning paper for the entire country, thus Juventud Rebelde dominical was created.

In 1969, JR formed the National School for Correspondents which began with 18 students registered (four of them from Havana and the rest from other provinces).

JR also kept the circulation of the Boletín Telex, which contained useful information for young correspondents throughout the Island.

Our weekly issue designed and produced the first copies of Hasta la Victoria Siempre newspaper, from the Isle of Youth.

On March 1st, 1972, JR began publishing three issues: the first for Havana, the third for the then called provinces of Camaguey and Oriente, and the second for the rest of the country. The same year, on December 1^st, a fourth issue (called third) was created. It circulated from Tuesday to Saturday, and was devoted to both the students from Havana and to the ESBECs (a type of rural schools) from Isle of Youth. It focused on information concerning students.

In various occasions Juventud Rebelde was printed in four colors: in December 1975, during the 1^st Congress of the Communist Party; in December 1976, at the time of the Popular Power Assembly (Parliament); in 1977, for the 3rd Congress of the Communist League; and in 1978 for the 11^th World Festival of Youth and Students (which included photos)...

In 1977, JR brought out Somos Jóvenes, a bimonthly magazine that became independent shortly afterwards.

On January 11, 1987, Juventud Rebelde began being printed off-set at the Granma Printing Complex and after 22 years, once again used a tabloid form, now under a A-3 format.

Since 1987 until 1990 JR periodically issued several supplements such as: Teleguía (TV section), LPV (sports), Permiso (cultural), Modas y Modos, CT-21 (technical-science).

JR BECOMES WEEKLY

In September 1990, because of the constraints provoked by the Special Period (the cut of papers supplies among others) JR became a weekly publication and the only paper circulating on Sundays in the entire country. In its last page, it added the humorous section DDT. Two years later, in 1992, JR was furnished with Electronic Mail, and for it reaches the entire world.

On December 22, 1996, the first copy of Juventud Rebelde appeared with complete digital images and printed by laser, which made possible the transmission of original works to the printing complexes in other provinces (Villa Clara’s at first and then Holguín).

On January 30, 1994, our Editorial House began publishing Opciones, a financial, commercial and tourist weekly that became the first Cuban publication devoted essentially to businessmen interested in business offers of the country, to national entrepreneurs, and to the accredited diplomatic sector.

From the economic point of view, the weekly Opciones contributes to finance in dollars some of the expenses of its generator JR.

In March 1993, JR created Rebelde en Rebelde, a radio program that airs every Sunday from 9 am to 12 noon on Radio Rebelde, the major Cuban broadcasting station. This radio program coincides with the circulation of both weeklies. For three hours, their hosts and the JR journalists who wrote the more important works of the week analyze and discuss them with special guests and add many anecdotes about their origin and meaning.

Juventud Rebelde also forms a part of the network of newspaper that monthly reproduce the work of a Iberian-American author to expand access to the masses.

This is a project that was supported by UNESCO and the Fund for Mexican Culture.

Since the 4 of July, 1997, Juventud Rebelde began to circulate on the INTERNET its digital edition and soon Opciones was available. Our aspirations are to daily elaborate a digital edition of Juventud Rebelde that can demonstrate to the world the truth about Cuba that many media try to silence.

Now, the editor arranges a staff of some 160 workers that includes journalists, photographers, humorists, sketch artist and creators of a high profession. For processing and analysis of the information the works teams consist of International, Sports, Culture and Citizens. There is also a documentation department (that includes archives, translation and researchers) plus photography, sketch art, the humorous DDT, revisers and composition. JR receives international media from 10 agencies and one national, and also has correspondents in the 14 Cuban provinces.