Qusay Hussein
The feared and favored son of Saddam Hussein, he commanded Iraq's most ruthless security forces and was groomed as heir.
1966–2003 (age 37)·Iraqi politician·Birthday: May 17·Generation X
Biography
Qusay Hussein was born into a dynasty of fear in 1966, the second son of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. Unlike his more flamboyant older brother Uday, Qusay operated with a chilling, methodical silence, earning his father's trust as a ruthless enforcer. He was placed in command of critical pillars of the regime's security apparatus, including the Republican Guard and the Iraqi Special Security Organization, making him responsible for internal suppression and regime survival. By 2000, Saddam had formally designated Qusay as his successor, a move that signaled his view of his son as a reliable and coldly competent heir. His power was absolute until the 2003 U.S.-led invasion toppled the regime. Qusay, along with his brother and a teenage nephew, was killed in a fierce firefight with American forces in Mosul, his death marking a symbolic end to the Hussein family's grip on Iraq.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Qusay was born in 1966, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Qusay Was Born
The biggest hits of 1966
#1 Movie
The Bible: In the Beginning
Best Picture
A Man for All Seasons
#1 TV Show
Bonanza
Qusay's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1966Born
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1971Started school
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1979Became a teenager
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Could drive
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1984Could vote
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1987Turned 21
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1996Turned 30
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2003Died at 37
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Key Achievements
- Formally appointed as Saddam Hussein's heir apparent in 2000.
- Served as deputy head of the Iraqi Special Security Organization, a key intelligence and internal security agency.
- Commanded the elite Republican Guard, the regime's primary military defense force.
Did You Know?
He was reportedly involved in the brutal crackdown on Shiite dissent following the 1991 uprising.
His degree was in law from the University of Baghdad.
During the 2003 invasion, a $15 million bounty was placed on his head by the U.S. government.
“The strong rule, and the weak obey. This is the law of the desert.”
