Desi Arnaz was born Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III on this day in 1917. His father was a politician and mayor of Santiago de Cuba, or the second-largest city on the island. In the 1930’s, Mr Arnaz sent Desi and his mother to the US. He joined them a little later. Over here, Desi worked in odd jobs and eventually found himself playing “bongos” on stage.