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Stalin, Leader of U.S.S.R.
Joseph Stalin or was the leader of the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s until his death in 1953. -
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Truman, President of U.S.
Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884 – December 26, 1972) was the 33rd President of the United States of America (1945–1953) -
Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference occurs, deciding the post-war status of Germany. The Allies of World War II (the USA, the USSR, Great Britain and France) divide Germany into four occupation zones. The Allied nations agree that free elections are to be held in all countries occupied by Nazi Germany. In addition, the new United Nations are to replace the failed League of Nations. -
Atomic Bomb
August 6: US President Truman gives permission for the world's first military use of an atomic weapon against the Japanese city of Hiroshima in an attempt to bring the only remaining theatre of war from the Second World War in the Pacific to a swift closure. -
Iron Curtain Speach
March 5: Winston Churchill warns of the descent of an Iron Curtain across Europe. -
French in Indochina
December 19: French landings in Indochina begin the First Indochina War. They are resisted by the Viet Minh communists who want national independence. -
Truman Doctrine
March 12: President Harry Truman announces the Truman Doctrine starting with the giving of aid to Greece and Turkey in order to prevent them from falling into the Soviet sphere -
Marshall Plan
June 5: Secretary of State George Marshall outlines plans for a comprehensive program of economic assistance for the war-ravaged countries of Western Europe. It would become known throughout the world as the Marshall Plan. -
Czechoslovakia turns Communist
February 25: The Communist Party takes control in Czechoslovakia, after President Edvard Beneš accepts the resignation of all non-communist ministers. -
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Berlin Airlift
June 28 to May 11, 1949: After Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin orders the blockade of all land routes from West Germany to Berlin, The Berlin Airlift defeats Russia's attempt to starve West Berlin. -
Soviets back Korea
September 9: The Soviet Union declares the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to be the legitimate government of all of Korea, with Kim Il-sung as Prime Minister. -
NATO
April 4: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is founded by Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States, in order to resist Communist expansion. -
USSR Atomc Bomb
August 29: The Soviet Union tests its first atomic bomb. The test, known to Americans as Joe 1, succeeds, as the Soviet Union becomes the world's second nuclear power. -
Communist China
October 1: Mao Zedong declares the foundation of the People's Republic of China - adding a quarter of the world's population to the communist camp. -
U.S.S.R. and China
February 16: The Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China sign a pact of mutual defense. -
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Korean War
The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was a war between the Republic of Korea (South Korea), supported by the United Nations, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), at one time supported by China and the Soviet Union. -
Rosenbergs executed
March 29: Julius and Ethel Rosenberg are convicted of espionage for their role in passing atomic secrets to the Soviets during and after World War II. -
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Krushchev, Leader of U.S.S.R.
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev[a] (April 15 [O.S. April 3] 1894 – September 11, 1971) was a politician who led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964 -
U.K. Atomic Bomb
October 2: The United Kingdom successfully tests its atomic bomb in Operation Hurricane. The test makes the UK the world's third nuclear power. -
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Eisenhower, President of U.S.
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (pronounced /ˈaɪzənhaʊər/, eye-zən-how-ər; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th President of the United States from 1953 until 1961. -
Dien Bien Phu
May 7: The Viet Minh defeat the French at Dien Bien Phu. France withdraws from Indochina, leaving four independent states: Cambodia, Laos, and what became North Vietnam and South Vietnam. The Geneva Accords calls for free elections to unite Vietnam, but none of the major Western powers wish this to occur in the likely case that the Viet Minh (nationalist Communists) would win. -
West Germany joins NATO
May 9: West Germany joins NATO and begins rearmament. -
Warsaw Pact
May 14: The Warsaw Pact is founded in Eastern Europe and includes East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Albania, Bulgaria, and the Soviet Union. It acts as the Communist military counterpart to NATO. -
Hungarian Revolution
October 23: Hungarian Revolution of 1956: Hungarians revolt against the Soviet dominated government. They are crushed by the Soviet military, which reinstates a Communist government. -
Suez Crisis
October 29: Suez Crisis: France, Israel, and the United Kingdom attack Egypt with the goal of removing Nasser from power. International diplomatic pressures force the attackers to withdraw. Canadian Lester B. Pearson encourages the United Nations to send a Peacekeeping force, the first of its kind, to the disputed territory. Lester B. Pearson wins a Nobel Peace Prize for his actions, and soon after becomes Canadian Prime Minister. -
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Vietnam War
The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War,was a Cold War-era proxy war that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from December 1956 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam—supported by the Soviet Union, China and other communist allies—and the government of South Vietnam—supported by the United States and other anti-communist countries. -
Eisenhower Doctrine
January 5: The Eisenhower doctrine commits the US to defending Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan from Communist influence. -
Strategic Air Command
October 1: The Strategic Air Command initiates 24/7 nuclear alert (continuous until termination in 1991) in anticipation of a Soviet ICBM surprise attack capability. -
Sputnik
October 4: The Soviet made Sputnik satellite launched. -
U.S. Losing Arms Race
November 7: The final report from a special committee called by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to review the nation's defense readiness indicates that the United States is falling far behind the Soviets in missile capabilities, and urges a vigorous campaign to build fallout shelters to protect American citizens. -
U.S.S.R. winning Arms Race
November 15: Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev claims that the Soviet Union has missile superiority over the United States and challenges America to a missile "shooting match" to prove his assertion. -
NASA
October 4: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA is formed. -
Fidel Castro takes Cuba
January 1: Cuban Revolution. Fidel Castro becomes the leader of Cuba although refrains from declaring the country Communist. Cuban-inspired guerrilla movements spring up across Latin America. -
NASA Explorer 6
August 7: American spacecraft Explorer 6 is launched into orbit to photograph the Earth. -
Krushchev in U.S.
September: Khrushchev visits U.S. for 13 days, and is denied access to Disneyland. Instead, he visits SeaWorld (then known as Marineland of the Pacific).[6] -
France Atomic Bomb
February 16: France successfully tests its first atomic bomb, Gerboise Bleue, in the middle of the Algerian Sahara Desert. -
U-2 Spy Plane
May 1: American pilot Francis Gary Powers is shot down in his U-2 spy plane while flying at high altitude over the Soviet Union, resulting in the U-2 Incident, an embarrassment for President Eisenhower. -
U.S. / Cuba
January 3: Dwight D. Eisenhower closes the U.S. embassy in Havana and severs diplomatic relations with Cuba. -
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Kennedy, President of U.S.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), commonly known as "Jack" or by his initials JFK, was an American politician who served as the 35th President of the United States from January 1961 until he was assassinated in November 1963. -
Yuri Gagarin - Cosmonaut
April 12: Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space and first to orbit the Earth when the Soviet Union successfully launches Vostok 1. -
Bay of Pigs
April 17–19: Bay of Pigs Invasion: A CIA-backed invasion of Cuba by counter-revolutionaries ends in failure. -
U.S. Missiles in Europe
June: Jupiter IRBM deployment to Turkey begins, joining the Jupiters deployed to Italy as well as the Thor IRBMs deployed to the UK as nuclear missiles placed within striking distance of Moscow. -
Berlin Wall
August 13: The Berlin Wall is built by the Soviets following the breakdown in talks to decide the future of Germany. -
Tsar Bomba
October 31: The Soviet Union detonates the Tsar Bomba, the most powerful thermonuclear weapon ever tested, with an explosive yield of some 50 megatons. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
October 16: Cuban Missile Crisis: The Soviets have secretly been installing military bases, including nuclear weapons, on Cuba, some 90 miles from the US mainland. Kennedy orders a "quarantine" (a naval blockade) of the island that intensifies the crisis and brings the US and the USSR to the brink of nuclear war. In the end, both sides reach a compromise. The Soviets back down and agree to withdraw their nuclear missiles from Cuba, in exchange for a secret agreement by Kennedy pledging to withdr -
Hot Line
June 20: The United States agrees to set up a hotline with the USSR, thus making direct communication possible. -
Kennedy Assassination
November 22: John F. Kennedy is shot and killed in Dallas by Lee Harvey Oswald. There has been some speculation over whether communist countries or even CIA were involved in the assassination, but those theories remain controversial. Kennedy's vice-president Lyndon B. Johnson becomes President of the United States. -
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Johnson, President of U.S.
Lyndon Baines Johnson ( August 27, 1908 – January 22, 1973), often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States (1963–1969) -
Gulf of Tonkin
August 4: US President Lyndon B. Johnson claims that North Vietnamese naval vessels had fired on two American destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin. Although there was a first attack, it was later proven that American vessels had entered North Vietnamese territory, and the second attack is proved unfounded. The Gulf of Tonkin Incident leads to the open involvement of the United States in the Vietnam War, after the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. -
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Brezhnev, Leader of U.S.S.R.
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev was the General Secretary of the Central Committee (CC) of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), presiding over the country from 1964 until his death in 1982. -
China Atomic Bomb
October 16: China tests its first atomic bomb. The test makes China the world's fifth nuclear power. -
U.S. in Vietnam
March 8: US military build up to defend South Vietnam. North Vietnam has also committed its forces in the war. US begins sustained bombing of North Vietnam. -
Egypt in the Sinai
May 23: Egypt blocks the Straits of Tiran, then expels UN peacekeepers and moves its army into the Sinai Peninsula in preparation for possible attack on Israel. -
Six Day War
June 5: In response to Egypt's aggression, Israel invades the Sinai Peninsula, beginning the Six-Day War. -
Tet Offensive
January 30: Tet Offensive in South Vietnam begins. It was one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War, launched by forces of the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army against the forces of South Vietnam, the United States, and their allies. It was a campaign of surprise attacks against military and civilian commands and control centers throughout South Vietnam. -
Tet Ends
June 8: Tet Offensive ends; while an American military victory, it raises questions over America's military chances in Vietnam -
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Nixon, President of U.S.
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974, when he became the only president to resign the office. -
Americans land on Moon
July 20: The U.S. accomplishes the first manned moon landing, Apollo 11. Manned by Neil Armstrong, "Buzz" Aldrin, and Michael Collins. -
Vietnamization
July 25: "Vietnamization" begins with U.S. troop withdrawals from Vietnam and the burden of combat being placed on the South Vietnamese. -
Libya
September 1: Muammar al-Gaddafi overthrows the Libyan monarchy and expels British and American personnel. Libya aligns itself with the Soviet Union. -
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
March 5: Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, ratified by the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and the United States, among others, enters into force. -
Nixon in China
February 21: Nixon visits China, the first visit by a U.S. President since the establishment of the People's Republic of China. -
SALT I
May 26: Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT I) agreement signals the beginning of détente between the U.S. and USSR. -
Bobby Fischer
September 1: Bobby Fischer defeats Russian Boris Spassky in a chess match in Reykjavík, Iceland, becoming the first official American chess champion -
Rolling Thunder
December 18: Richard Nixon announces the beginning of a massive bombing campaign in North Vietnam -
Paris Peach Accords
January 27: The Paris Peace Accords end American involvement in the Vietnam War. Congress cuts off funds for the continued bombing of Indochina. -
Yom Kippur War
October 6: Yom Kippur War — Israel is attacked by Egypt and Syria, the war ends with a ceasefire. -
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Ford, President of U.S.
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King, Jr.; July 14, 1913 – December 26, 2006) was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977 -
Khmer Rouge
April 17: The communist Khmer Rouge take power in Cambodia; genocide ensues, later referred to as "The Killing Fields". -
Siagon Falls
April 30: North Vietnam wins the war in South Vietnam. The South Vietnam regime falls with the surrender of Saigon and the two countries are united under a Communist government. -
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Carter, President of U.S.
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who served as the 39th President of the United States from 1977 to 1981 and was awarded the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office. -
Iranian Revolution
January 16: The Iranian Revolution ousts the pro-Western Shah, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi and installs a theocracy under Ayatollah Khomeini. CENTO dissolves as a result. -
SALT II
June 18: U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Soviet leader, Leonid Brezhnev, sign the SALT II agreement, outlining limitations and guidelines for nuclear weapons. -
Iran Hostage Crisis
November 4: Islamist Iranian students take over the American embassy in support of the Iranian Revolution. The Iran hostage crisis lasts until January 20, 1981. -
Soviets invade Afghanistan
December 24: The Soviet Union invades Afghanistan to oust Hafizullah Amin, resulting in the end of Détente. -
Olympic Boycott
March 21: The United States and its allies boycott the 1980 Summer Olympics (July 19-August 3) in Moscow. -
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Reagan, President of U.S.
Ronald Wilson Reagan (/ˈrɒnəld ˈwɪlsən ˈreɪɡən/; February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was the 40th President of the United States (1981–1989). Prior to his presidency, he served as the 33rd Governor of California (1967–1975), and was a radio, film and television actor. -
U.S. backs Contras
November 23: The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) begins to support anti-Sandinista Contras. -
Solidarity trade union
December 13: Communist Gen. Jaruzelski introduces martial law in Poland, which drastically restricts normal life, in an attempt to crush the Solidarity trade union and the political opposition against communist rule. under the leadership of Lech Wałęsa, "Solidarity" was the first non-Communist Party-controlled trade union in a Warsaw Pact country. -
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Andropov, Leader of U.S.S.R.
Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov was a Soviet politician and the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 12 November 1982 until his death fifteen months later. -
Star Wars
March 23: U.S. President Ronald Reagan proposes the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI, or "Star Wars"). -
Korean Air
September 1: Civilian Korean Air Lines Flight 007, with 269 passengers, including U.S. Congressman Larry McDonald, is shot down by Soviet interceptor aircraft. -
Able Archer
November 2: Exercise Able Archer 83 — Soviet anti-aircraft misinterpret a test of NATO's nuclear warfare procedures as a fake cover for an actual NATO attack; in response, Soviet nuclear forces are put on high alert. -
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Chernenko, Leader of U.S.S.R.
Konstantin Ustinovich Chernenko[1] (24 September 1911 – 10 March 1985) was a Soviet politician and the fifth General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. He led the Soviet Union from 13 February 1984 until his death thirteen months later, on 10 March 1985. Chernenko was also Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet from 11 April 1984 until his death. -
Class of 84
Coach Grimes graduates from Rusk High School -
Soviet Olympic Boycott
July 28: Various allies of the Soviet Union boycott the 1984 Summer Olympics (July 28 - August 12) in Los Angeles. -
Reagan / Gorbachev meet
November 21: Reagan and Gorbachev meet for the first time at a summit in Geneva, Switzerland, where they agree to two (later three) more summits. -
Iran-Contra Affair
November 3: Iran-Contra affair: The Reagan administration publicly announces that it has been selling arms to Iran in exchange for hostages and illegally transferring the profits to the Contra rebels in Nicaragua. -
"Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"
June 12: During a visit to Berlin, Germany, U.S. President Ronald Reagan famously challenges Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev in a speech: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" (The Berlin Wall). -
Iran-Contra Scandal
November 18: After nearly a year of hearings into the Iran-Contra scandal, the Joint Congressional Investigating Committee issues its final report. It concludes that the scandal, involving a complicated plan whereby some of the funds from secret weapons sales to Iran were used to finance the Contra war against the Sandinista government in Nicaragua, was one in which the administration of Ronald Reagan exhibited "secrecy, deception, and disdain for the law." -
IRNF Treaty
December 8: The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is signed in Washington, D.C. by U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. Some later claim this was the official end of the Cold War. Gorbachev agrees to START I treaty. -
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Bush, President of U.S.
George Herbert Walker Bush (born June 12, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States (1989–1993). -
Tiananmen Square Massacre
June 4: Tiananmen Square Massacre: Beijing protests are crushed by the communist Chinese government, resulting in an unknown number of deaths. -
Poland
June 4: Semi-free elections in Poland show complete lack of backing for the Communist Party; Solidarity trade union wins all available seats in the Parliament and 99% in the Senate. -
Berlin Wall Comes Down
November 9: Revolutions of Eastern Europe: Soviet reforms and their state of bankruptcy have allowed Eastern Europe to rise up against the Communist governments there. The Berlin Wall is breached when Politburo spokesman, Günter Schabowski, not fully informed of the technicalities or procedures of the newly agreed lifting of travel restrictions, mistakenly announces at a news conference in East Berlin that the borders have been opened. -
Malta Summit
December 3: At the end of the Malta Summit, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and US President George H. W. Bush declare that a long-lasting era of peace has begun. Many observers regard this summit as the official beginning of the end of the Cold War. -
Romania
December 16–25: Romanian Revolution: Rioters overthrow the Communist regime of Nicolae Ceauşescu, executing him and his wife, Elena. Romania was the only Eastern Bloc country to violently overthrow its Communist regime or to execute its leaders. -
McDonald's
January 31: The first McDonald's in Moscow, Russia opens. -
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Gorbachev, Leader of U.S.S.R.
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman. He was the seventh and last undisputed leader of the Soviet Union, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the country's head of state from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991 -
Gulf War
August 2: Iraq invades Kuwait, beginning Gulf War. -
German Reunification
October 3: Germany is reunified. -
End of Cold War
December 25: US President George H. W. Bush, after receiving a phone call from Boris Yeltsin, delivers a Christmas Day speech acknowledging the end of the Cold War. -
U.S.S.R. Ceases to Exist
December 25: Mikhail Gorbachev resigns as President of the USSR. The hammer and sickle is lowered for the last time over the Kremlin.