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Today in History, Jan. 3

Stakhanov was hailed as the embodiment of the supremacy of the Soviet economic system.

108 years ago, on Jan. 3, 1906, Alexei Stakhanov was born into a family of peasants in Lugovaya. Initially a humble miner, Stakhanov shot to fame when he mined 14 times his quota of coal. The record was used by the Soviet leadership to set an example for the rest of the country, with workers who exceeded production targets being tagged "Stakhanovites" in praise. 

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