Charles Wojtyła was born in 1920 in Poland and entered seminary in 1941 after losing his parents and siblings. He became Pope John Paul II in 1978, the first non-Italian pope in over 400 years. As Pope, he was known for his extensive foreign travel and pilgrimages, visiting over 100 countries on five continents and breaking records for papal trips abroad. On one such trip in 1981, he was the target of an assassination attempt but survived. John Paul II spoke several languages fluently and had a strong interest in connecting with youth, making him a popular figure until his death from Parkinson's disease in 2005.