Gori: References & Edit History

The date of Joseph Stalin’s birth was traditionally held to be Dec. 21 (Dec. 9, Old Style), 1879, but evidence that surfaced after the collapse of the Soviet Union cast doubt on this. Upon Stalin’s rise to power in 1922, information about his early life was suppressed, and the Dec. 21, 1879, date was included in his official biography. However, documents held in the Communist Party central archives—including a baptismal record from the cathedral in Stalin’s hometown of Gori, Georgia, and a certificate from the Gori church school—give a birth date of Dec. 18 (Dec. 6, Old Style), 1878. This date is further supported by a curriculum vitae, also included in the archives, that was written in Stalin’s own hand in 1920. A 1904 arrest report recorded his birth year as 1881, but this was most likely a deliberate attempt by Stalin to mislead tsarist officials.