Fun Facts About Osama bin Laden
- Osama bin Laden was the 17th of about 52 children of Muhammad bin Ladin, whose Saudi Binladin Group became the Saudi royal family's official construction contractor.[1]
- U.S. intelligence internally called him Usama bin Laden and used the initials "UBL"; he was named after a companion of Muhammad, and Usama means "lion".[1][3][4]
- Bin Laden took an English-language course in Oxford, England, in 1971, and later studied economics and business administration at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah.[1]
- Bin Laden's hideout in Abbottabad, Pakistan, was less than 2 kilometers from the Pakistan Military Academy; U.S. intelligence found it by following a courier.[1]
- To confirm bin Laden was in the compound, the CIA ran a campaign of fake hepatitis B vaccinations, hoping to collect a relative's DNA from a needle.[1]
- Osama bin Laden was alive at the same time as Le Corbusier — their lives overlapped for 8 years (1957–1965).[1][2][5][6]
- Osama bin Laden and Leonardo da Vinci died on the same day of the year, May 2.[1][2][7][8]
- Osama bin Laden lived to about 54, from 1957 until 2011.[1][2]
Osama bin Laden was the founder and first general emir of al-Qaeda, a Salafi jihadist militant organization, from 1988 until his killing in 2011. He was one of the most significant supporters of Islamic terrorism and jihadist militant movements around the world, aiming to found a pan-Islamic caliphate and end Western nations' interventionism in the Middle East. Most notably, he helped orchestrate al-Qaeda's terrorist attacks against the United States on 11 September 2001, which directly killed 2,977 victims and caused the U.S.-led global war on terror. He also led al-Qaeda and its allies in numerous wars, including the Second Afghan Civil War (1992–1996), Bosnian War (1992–1995), and Algerian Civil War (1992–2002), the latter of which he helped instigate.[1]
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Questions About Osama bin Laden
When was Osama bin Laden born?
Osama bin Laden was born on March 10, 1957, and died on May 2, 2011.
How old was Osama bin Laden at death?
Osama bin Laden was born on March 10, 1957, and died on May 2, 2011, at age 54.
What was Osama bin Laden known for?
Osama bin Laden was known for: Founder of al-Qaeda. Osama bin Laden was the founder and first general emir of al-Qaeda, a Salafi jihadist militant organization, from 1988 until his killing in 2011. He was one of the most significant supporters of Islamic terrorism and jihadist militant movements around the world, aiming to found a pan-Islamic caliphate and end Western nations' interventionism in the Middle East. Most notably, he helped orchestrate al-Qaeda's terrorist attacks against the United States on 11 September 2001, which directly killed 2,977 victims and caused the U.S.-led global war on terror. He also led al-Qaeda and its allies in numerous wars, including the Second Afghan Civil War (1992–1996), Bosnian War (1992–1995), and Algerian Civil War (1992–2002), the latter of which he helped instigate.
Who was alive at the same time as Osama bin Laden?
Osama bin Laden's closest contemporary was Nelson Mandela. Their lives overlapped for 54 years.
Sources
- Osama bin Laden — Wikipedia. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Osama bin Laden (Q1317) — Wikidata
- Muhammad — Wikipedia
- Muhammad (Q9458) — Wikidata
- Le Corbusier — Wikipedia
- Le Corbusier (Q4724) — Wikidata
- Leonardo da Vinci — Wikipedia
- Leonardo da Vinci (Q762) — Wikidata
- Portrait: Osama bin Laden portrait.jpg — Wikimedia Commons. Hamid Mir, CC BY-SA 3.0