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The Detonation of Trinity
The bomb known as Trinity was the world's first successfully detonated nuclear device. The bomb was tested in new Mexico after being designed in the Los Alamos Labratory. The successful detonation led to the creation of other nuclear weapons and their use in Japan as a part of World War II. Other countries would soon attempt to copy the American invention for their own use. -
The Long Telegram
George Kennan sent a famously long telegram to the State Department from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. The telegram denounced the Soviet Union as a continued enemy of American interests. Kennan maintained that there could be no cooperation between the two countries and likened communism to a parasite. The Long Telegram became part of the basis for the later American policy of containment. -
Executive Order 9835
President Truman was facing growing pressure to actively fight the internal communist threat. As a result, Executive Order 9835 established loyalty reviews for all federal employees. This led to several government administrations completing closer searches for anyone with ties to communism or the briefly popular Communist Party of the United States of America. Unfortunately, this only helped fuel the practice of seeing communist threats everywhere. -
The Beginning of Berlin's Seperation
America, Britain, and France worked together to introduce a new currency within Germany. However, the Soviet Union refused to compromise with the others and initiated a complete blockade of West Berlin. The Soviets hoped to gain complete control of the city, resulting in the famous Berlin Wall to be built shortly later. The United States helped the citizens within the cut-off portion of the city via massive airlifts of supplies. -
China Becomes Communist
After a short period of conflict, the Communist Party of China led by Mao Zedong declared complete control over their country. The Communist Party had opposed the Kuomintang nationalists led by Chiang Kai-shek, leading the western-backed group to retreat into Taiwan. The loss of China to communism was seen as one of the most massive blows to America during the Cold War. -
Origin of McCarthyism
Joseph McCarthy during a speech in 1950 claimed he had a list of several individuals within the American government that were active communists. McCarthy came to inspire the Red Scare practice known as McCarthyism, which involved accusing others of being communist spies or sympathizers. This practice plagued several members of the American government and only heightened the fears of the American public. Ironically, the list cited by McCarthy was never actually revealed to the public. -
Beginning of the Korean War's End
The Korean War officially ended in 1953 when the Soviet Union and America signed an armistice agreement regarding the conflict between North and South Korea. However, the cease fire was suggested by the Soviet Ambassador to the UN in 1951, with negotiations taking two years to complete. The truce resulted in North Korea remaining above the 38th parallel while South Korea remained below the same line. The Korean War was not seen as a decisive victory for either party. -
First Thermonuclear Weapon
After continued advances on nuclear technology, America developed and detonated the first thermonuclear weapon. The clouds from the inferno expanded over hundreds of miles, and soon many countries were racing to develop the same technology. When the Soviet Union also began testing thermonuclear weapons, America promised massive retaliation should they ever be used. This was the first example of two countries having the equal capacity of completely destroying each other.
