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January 1st, 1947: Truman Doctrine
President Truman's policy that provided economic and military aid to countries threatened by communism, aimed at containing Soviet influence. -
Period: to
January 1, 1947- December 31, 1966
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March 2, 1947
The U.S. initiated a comprehensive economic aid program to assist war-torn Europe, aiming to prevent the spread of communism and foster post-war recovery. -
September 18, 1947
The Central Intelligence Agency was established to gather intelligence and conduct covert operations in response to growing Cold War tensions. -
May 14, 1948 Establishment of Israel
The State of Israel was officially proclaimed, leading to conflicts with neighboring Arab states and intensifying the Cold War dynamics in the Middle East. -
June 24, 1948 Berlin Blockade
In response to the introduction of a new German currency by Western Allies, the Soviet Union blockaded all land access to West Berlin, leading to the Berlin Airlift. -
June 26, 1948 Berlin Airlift
The United States and its allies organized a massive airlift operation to provide food, fuel, and supplies to the citizens of West Berlin, effectively circumventing the Soviet blockade. -
April 4, 1949 NATO Formation
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was established as a defensive alliance among Western European countries and the United States, aimed at countering Soviet aggression. -
August 29, 1949 Soviet Atomic Bomb
The Soviet Union successfully tested its first atomic bomb, ending the American monopoly on nuclear weapons and escalating the arms race. -
October 1, 1949 Communist Victory in China
Mao Zedong's communist forces defeated the nationalist Kuomintang, leading to the establishment of the People's Republic of China and heightening fears of communist expansion. -
February 9, 1950
Senator Joseph McCarthy claimed that there were widespread communist infiltration's in the U.S. government, leading to a period of intense anti-communist investigations and political repression -
June 25, 1950 Korean War Begins
North Korea invaded South Korea, triggering a conflict that involved the United States and its allies in a military intervention against communist aggression. -
June 27, 1950 Signing of the Armistice Agreement
The Korean War ended in a stalemate with the signing of an armistice, which established a demilitarized zone and temporarily divided Korea along the 38th parallel. -
March 6, 1951 Julius and Ethel Rosenberg Trial
Accused of espionage, the Rosenberg couple are convicted of passing atomic secrets to the Soviet Union during World War II. They are sentenced to death and executed in 1953. -
May 25, 1951 Operation Greenhouse
The United States conducts a series of nuclear tests at the Eniwetok Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, marking the first tests to focus on the development of thermonuclear weapons. -
July 27, 1951 Korean War Armistice
The Korean War, which began in 1950, comes to a halt as an armistice is signed between North Korea and South Korea. The conflict ends in a stalemate, with the two sides agreeing to a demilitarized zone between them. -
April 28, 1952 Treaty of Taipei
Japan and the Republic of China sign a peace treaty, officially ending the state of war between the two countries. Taiwan gains sovereignty over the disputed islands of the Senkaku and Diaoyu. -
August 19, 1952 Iran Crisis
The United States and the United Kingdom orchestrate a coup in Iran, overthrowing Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh and reinstating the Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, due to concerns about nationalization of the Iranian oil industry. -
November 1, 1952 Operation Ivy
The United States detonates the first hydrogen bomb, codenamed "Mike," during a test at the Eniwetok Atoll. This marks a significant advancement in nuclear weapons technology. -
March 5, 1953
Soviet leader Joseph Stalin dies after three decades in power. His death ushers in a period of political uncertainty and a power struggle within the Soviet Union. -
July 27, 1953
The Korean War officially ends with the signing of an armistice agreement between North Korea, China, and the United Nations Command. The war results in the division of Korea into North and South. -
November 4, 1953 Dwight D. Eisenhower elected President
World War II hero and former Supreme Allied Commander, Dwight D. Eisenhower, wins the presidential election, defeating Democrat Adlai Stevenson. He will serve two terms in office. -
April 22, 1954 McCarthy Hearings
Senator Joseph McCarthy's anticommunist crusade reaches its peak as he conducts highly publicized hearings investigating alleged communist infiltration in the U.S. government, contributing to his eventual downfall. -
May 17, 1954 Brown v Board of Education
In a landmark decision, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that racial segregation in public schools is unconstitutional. The ruling paves the way for the desegregation of schools across the United States. -
July 21, 1954 Geneva Accords
The Geneva Conference concludes with the signing of an agreement that ends the First Indochina War and temporarily divided Vietnam into North and South. The accord also grants independence to Laos and Cambodia. -
April 18, 1955 Bandung Conference
Leaders from 29 newly independent Asian and African countries gather in Bandung, Indonesia, to discuss cooperation, decolonization, and the promotion of neutralism in the context of the Cold War. -
May 14, 1955 Warsaw Pact
The Soviet Union and several Eastern European countries establish a mutual defense alliance known as the Warsaw Pact in response to West Germany's integration into NATO. -
December 1, 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott
In response to the arrest of Rosa Parks for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white person, African Americans in Montgomery, Alabama, launch a successful boycott of the city's bus system, sparking the civil rights movement. -
June 29, 1956 Interstate Highway System
President Eisenhower signs the Federal-Aid Highway Act, authorizing the construction of a vast network of highways across the United States. The system aims to improve transportation infrastructure and facilitate defense mobility. -
October 23, 1956 Hungarian Uprising
A spontaneous revolt against Soviet domination erupts in Hungary, with demands for political reforms and withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact. The uprising is eventually crushed by Soviet forces. -
October 29, 1956 Suez Crisis
Following the nationalization of the Suez Canal by Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, Israel, France, and the United Kingdom launch a military intervention. International pressure and the threat of Soviet intervention lead to a withdrawal of the invading forces. -
March 25, 1957 Treaty of Rome
The Treaty of Rome is signed, establishing the European Economic Community and laying the foundation for the formation of the European Union in later years. The treaty aims to promote economic integration among European countries. -
September 4, 1957 Little Rock Nine
Nine African American students, known as the Little Rock Nine, are escorted by federal troops as they integrate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. The event highlights the ongoing struggle for desegregation in the United States. -
October 4, 1957 Sputnik 1
The Soviet Union successfully launches the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, into space. This event marks the beginning of the Space Age and triggers the space race between the Soviet Union and the United States. -
September 23, 1958 Second Taiwan Strait Crisis
Tensions escalate between the People's Republic of China and Taiwan as the Chinese Communist forces bombard the islands of Kinmen and Matsu, prompting the United States to intervene and deter further hostilities. -
October 1, 1958 NASA was Created
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is established in the United States, consolidating various space exploration efforts and research programs under one agency. -
November 10, 1958 Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev delivered a speech
On November 10, 1958, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev delivered a speech in which he demanded that the Western powers of the United States, Great Britain and France pull their forces out of West Berlin within six months. -
January 1, 1959 Cuban Revolution
Fidel Castro's revolutionary forces overthrow Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista, leading to the establishment of a socialist government in Cuba and strained relations with the United States. -
March 17, 1959 Dalai Lama Flees Tibet
Following a failed Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule, the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, escapes into exile in India, where he establishes a government-in-exile and continues to advocate for Tibetan autonomy. -
October 14, 1959 Cuban Missile Crisis
The world comes to the brink of nuclear war as the United States discovers Soviet missile installations in Cuba. A tense standoff ensues, but is eventually resolved through negotiations, with the removal of missiles from Cuba and a secret U.S. commitment to remove missiles from Turkey. -
November 8, 1960 J.F.K is elected president
In the 1960 election, John F. Kennedy, of the democratic party, defeated a previous vice president under Eisenhower, Richard Nixon in a very close ballot count. John F. Kennedy had become the 35th President of The United States. -
September 28, 1960 NATO introduces a unified air defense command
The NATO Integrated Air Defense System is a command and control network combining radars and other facilities spread throughout the NATO alliance's air defense forces. -
December 12, 1960 National Liberation Army is established in Vietnam
North Vietnam established the National Liberation Front on December 20, 1960, at Tân Lập village in Tây Ninh Province to foment insurgency in the South. Many of the Viet Cong's core members were volunteer "regroupees", southern Viet Minh who had resettled in the North after the Geneva Accord (1954). -
April 17, 1961 The Bay of Pigs Invasion of Cuba
The Bay of Pigs invasion was an invasion of Cuba in April 1961 by 1,500 Cuban exiles opposed to Fidel Castro. The invasion was financed and directed by the U.S. government. It derives its name from the location of the invasion, the Bahía de Cochinos , also known to Cubans as the Playa Girón, on Cuba's southwestern coast. The invasion ended up being a catastrophe for the U.S, with many of the exiles being captured. -
June 4, 1961 Khrushchev and Kennedy Hold Summit Meeting in Vienna.
Nikita Krushchev and John F. Kennedy met up in Vienna to talk about current issues in the world. One of the main ones was the topic of Berlin. Khrushchev wanted the US to sign a peace treaty and remove its troops from West Berlin, but Kennedy refused. -
October 11, 1961 United States Promises to Support South Vietnam Against Communist Aggression
The USA was afraid that communism would spread to South Vietnam and then the rest of Asia. It decided to send money, supplies, and military advisers to help the South Vietnamese Government. The U.S' biggest fear was the domino effect, where if South Vietnam fell, would Laos, Cambodia, and other countries in South Asia fall to communism. -
February 7, 1962 JFK ends trades with Cuba
On February 7, 1962, President John F. Kennedy issues an executive order broadening the United States' restrictions on trade with Cuba. The ensuing embargo, which effectively restricts all trade between Cuba and the United States, has had profoundly negative effects on the island nation's economy. -
July 2, 1962 Soviet Union Agrees to Send Arms to Cuba
After the failed U.S. attempt to overthrow the Castro regime in Cuba with the Bay of Pigs invasion, and while the Kennedy administration planned Operation Mongoose, Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev reached a secret agreement with Cuban premier Fidel Castro to place Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba to deter any future invasion attempt. -
November 8, 1962 JFK announces Cuban Missile Crisis is over
After a secret agreement was made between Kennedy and Krushchev to try and ease tensions between the two; In November, Kennedy called off the blockade of Cuba from Soviet Ships, and by the end of the year, all the offensive missiles had left Cuba. Soon after, the United States quietly removed its missiles from Turkey. -
June 20, 1963 Khrushchev and Kennedy Establish a Hot Line
The Hot Line was a way of direct communication between Krushchev and Kennedy and was used so both sides could talk and try and resolve any conflict or crisis happening at the time, all in order to keep tensions as low as possible to avoid any nuclear action. -
June 26, 1963 Kennedy Visits West Berlin
The US President, John F Kennedy, made a ground-breaking speech in Berlin offering American solidarity to the citizens of West Germany. A crowd of 120,000 Berliners gathered in front of the Schöneberg Rathaus to hear President Kennedy speak. He also went there to challenge Soviet oppression and offer hope to the people of the divided city. -
November 26, 1963 JFK Assassinated
John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States of America is assassinated in Dallas, Texas. -
August 2, 1964 Gulf of Ton-kin Incident
The Gulf of Tonkin Incident occurred in August 1964. North Vietnamese warships purportedly attacked United States warships, the U.S.S. Maddox and the U.S.S. C. Turner Joy, on two separate occasions in the Gulf of Tonkin, a body of water neighboring modern-day Vietnam. -
October 16, 1964 China Tests It's First Atomic Bomb
The People's Republic of China conducted its first nuclear test, making it the fifth nuclear-armed state after the United States, the Soviet Union, Britain, and France. China had initiated its nuclear weapons program in the mid-1950s, after the Korean war. -
November 5, 1964 Zhou Enlai Visits The Soviet Union
Zhou Enlai was the first Premier of the People's Republic of China serving from 1 October 1949 until his death on 8 January 1976. Zhou served under Chairman Mao Zedong and helped the Communist Party rise to power. In November of 1964, Enlai visited the Soviet Union to try and improve relations between The Soviet Union and China. -
April 29, 1965 Australia Decides To Send Troops To South Vietnam
Prime Minister Robert Menzies announced in parliament that Australia would send a battalion of combat troops to Vietnam. The decision was motivated by a desire to strengthen strategic relations with the United States and halt the spread of communism in South-East Asia. -
September 29, 1965 The Soviet Union Admits to Supplying North Vietnam
In September of 1965, The Soviet Union admitted to providing aid to North Vietnam. The Soviet Union supplied North Vietnam through its ally China; The Soviet Union was also North Vietnam's biggest supplier. They supplied their communist allies with food, petroleum, transport vehicles, iron, steel, fertilizer, arms, and ammunition. -
December 29, 1965 Ho Chi Minh Rejects Peace Talks Offered by Lyndon B. Johnson
As tensions in Vietnam started to become higher, Johnson wanted to try and ease tensions with the North. After offering peace talks to Ho Chi Minh, leader of North Vietnam, Minh denied the offer for peace talks, not wanting to make any deals with the U.S. Minh wanted to reunite Vietnam under a communist regime, so he didn't want to make any deals or peace. -
February 21, 1966 Charles De Gaulle calls the U.S. forces to leave Vietnam
French president Charles de Gaulle urges the United States to get out of Vietnam. In a speech before 100,000 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, President Charles de Gaulle of France denounces U.S. policy in Vietnam and urges the U.S. government to pull its troops out of Southeast Asia. -
March 10, 1966 France Withdraws It's Troops From NATO
In 1966, France decided to withdraw from the Alliance's integrated military command. This doesn't mean that France withdrew from NATO entirely, they were still willing to uphold their commitment to defending other NATO members. As General de Gaulle put it, the aim was to change the form of our Alliance without changing its substance. -
December 13, 1966 U.S. Air Raid Kills 100 Vietnamese Civilian
In 1965, The U.S. began an operation called Operation Rolling Thunder, in which the U.S. would carry out bombing raids on North Vietnam. During the Vietnam War, U.S. aircraft bomb the major North Vietnamese population centers of Hanoi and Haiphong for the first time, destroying oil depots located near the two cities.