Juan Peron joined the Argentine army at the right time: the South American region for the first time in a long while was settling down into a period of more or less stable peace. No major wars were fought during Peron’s service, which allowed him to use his great charm and political cunning to advance through the ranks of the military, and then to overthrow the ineffective civilian government. Peron’s great popularity among the working class did not save him from a coup, however, and after a period of economic stagnation his opponents in the military drove him out.

On this day, September 16, in 1955, a military coup that involved the air force bombing a pro-Peron demonstration at the Plaza de Mayo finally succeeded in exiling him.

Peron spent almost two decades out of Argentina, but not out of power — and hardly forgotten. He remained as popular as ever with the working class, and exerted great influence on the political events of the country. Peron-championed candidates frequently won elections, and politicians of all stripes met with him in exile. By popular demand, he returned to power again in 1973, but governed for only about a year before succumbing to a heart attack.