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Soviets detonate an atomic bomb
The USSR successfully detonates its first atomic bomb, code name “First Lightning.” In order to measure the effects of the blast, the Soviet scientists made buildings, bridges, and other civilian structures in the vicinity of the bomb. On September 3, a U.S. spy plane flying off the coast of Siberia picked up the first evidence of radioactivity from the explosion. -
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Korean War
The Korean war began on June 25, 1950, when some 75,000 soldiers from the North Korean People’s Army poured across the boundary between the South of Korea the North. By July, American troops had entered the war on South Korea’s behalf because of the fear of the spread of communism. In August 1945, two young aides at the State Department divided the Korean peninsula in half along the 38th parallel. The Russians got the area north of the line and the United States got the area south. -
Fidel Castro seizes power
In July 1953, Fidel Castro Cuban leader led about 120 men in an attack on the Moncada army in Santiago de Cuba. The assault failed, Castro was captured and sentenced to 15 years in prison, and many of his men were killed. The U.S. backed Batista, looking to counter his image, released Castro in 1955. Castro ended up in Mexico, where he met fellow revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara and plotted his return. -
Rosenbergs executed
On June 19, 1953, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were convicted of conspiring to pass U.S. atomic secrets to the Soviets, are executed at Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, New York. Both refused to admit any wrongdoing and proclaimed their innocence right up to the time of their deaths, by the electric chair. -
Geneva Accords signed
In July 1954, the Geneva Agreements were signed. As part of the agreement, the French agreed to withdraw their troops from northern Vietnam. Vietnam would be temporarily divided at the 17th parallel, pending elections within two years to choose a president and reunite the country. -
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McCarthy Hearings
Already infamous for his aggressive interrogations of suspected Communists, Wisconsin Senator Joseph R. McCarthy earned more notoriety via these televised 1954 Congressional hearings. McCarthy had turned his investigations to army security, but the army in turn charged him with using improper influence to win preferential treatment for a former staff member. Although McCarthy was acquitted, his popular support waned and his political career was soon over -
Sputnik orbit
October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik I. The world's first artificial satellite was about the size of a beach ball and took about 98 minutes to orbit Earth. The launch led to new political, military, technological, and scientific developments. While the Sputnik launch was a single event, it was the start of the space age and the U.S.-U.S.S.R space race. -
NASA created
The U.S. creates National Aeronautics and Space Administration, a civilian agency responsible for America’s activities in space, on July 29, 1958. The Sputnik launch caught Americans by surprise and sparked fears that the Soviets might also be capable of sending missiles with nuclear weapons to America. The United States prided itself on being at the forefront of technology, and, embarrassed, immediately began developing a response, signaling the start of the U.S.-Soviet space race.