Saddam Hussein was born.
Saddam Hussein . A leading member of the revolutionary Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party , and later , the Baghdad-based Ba'ath Party and its regional organization the Iraqi Ba'ath Party -- which espoused Ba'athism , a mix of Arab nationalism and socialism -- Saddam played a key role in the 1968 coup ( later referred to as the 17 July Revolution ) that brought the party to power in Iraq .