On this day 121 years ago, on February 20, 1904 (January 5, 1904 in the lunar calendar), Soviet leader Kosygin was born. Kosygin Alexei Nikolayevich Kosygin (1904~ 1980) Soviet politician. Chairperson of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union (1964~ 1980). Joined the Red Army in 1919 and was elected as a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1939. Elected as a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1948. He served as Vice Chairperson of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union in December 1953 and was dismissed again in December 1956. In June 1957, he re-became an alternate member of the Presidium of the Party and resumed the position of Vice Chairperson of the Council of Ministers again. In October 1964, he replaced Khrushchev as Chairperson of the Council of In the early 1970s, Kosygin exercised collective leadership with Brezhnev, the first secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, and Podgorny, the chairperson of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. But as Brezhnev's power grew, the role of Kosygin and Podgorny gradually weakened. On October 23, 1980, Brezhnev announced that Kosygin was retiring due to health reasons.