CNN: Mikhail Gorbachev, Last Soviet Union President, Dead at Age 91

EXCERPT:

CHANCE: “With that port stain birthmark on his forehead, Mikhail Gorbachev was one of the most recognizable figures in 20th century politics. His attempts to reform the Soviet Union and his role in ending the Cold War made him one of its most influential too. As a young man, Gorbachev studied law at Moscow State university. It’s there he met and married fellow student Raisa Titarenko. He went on to forge a career in the Communist Party, eventually age 54 becoming its general secretary, the leader of the Soviet Union. It was in this role that Gorbachev and his wife broke the mold. He for his outgoing charismatic nature, Raisa for her stylish outfits and for the unheard of elegance she brought to the role of Soviet first lady. But the vast communist nation they ruled was on the brink of crisis.”