Stepan Bandera, a Ukrainian political leader, has died at the age of 50 on October 15, 1959. Bandera was born on January 1, 1909 in Uhryniv Staryi, a small town in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, now located in Ukraine. He was an active participant in the Ukrainian nationalist movement since his youth, and in 1929 joined the Ukrainian Military Organization. Throughout his youth and adulthood, he actively engaged in Ukrainian independence activism and was ultimately exiled to Germany. Bandera was an influential figure in Ukrainian politics. He co-founded the political party the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists and in 1940 he declared Ukraine an independent state, ending 900 years of the rule of foreign governments. His death resulted in numerous memorials and demonstrations of support in his honor but also polarized the Eastern European public in regards to his legacy. Bandera's death on October 15, 1959 has left a significant mark on Ukrainian culture and politics and his memory will continue to live on in history.