•He survived an assassination attempt ordered by Rafael Trujillo, dictator of the Dominican Republic.
•When his 5-year term expired, Betancourt did what no Venezuelan had ever done before, he turned over his office to his democratically elected successor.
•His last major contribution as president was to direct what is generally believed to have been most honest election in Venezuela history in 1964.
•Scholars credit Betancourt as the Founding Father of modern democratic Venezuela.