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USSR develops Nuclear weapons
The most significant early work on fission in the Soviet Union was performed by Yakov Zel'dovich and Yuli Khariton who published a series of papers in 1939-41 that laid the groundwork for later Soviet atomic weapons development. The Soviet weapons program proper began in 1943 during World War II, under the leadership of physicist Igor Vasilievich Kurchatov. -
USA develops Nuclear weapons
Nuclear weapons possess enormous destructive power derived from nuclear fission or combined fission and fusion reactions. Starting with scientific breakthroughs made during the 1930s, the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada collaborated during World War II in what was called the Manhattan Project to counter the suspected Nazi German atomic bomb project. -
Period: to
Cold War
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Truman Doctrine
President Harry S. Truman established that the United States would provide political, military and economic assistance to all democratic nations under threat from external or internal authoritarian forces. The Truman Doctrine effectively reoriented U.S. foreign policy, away from its usual stance of withdrawal from regional conflicts not directly involving the United States, to one of possible intervention in far away conflicts. -
The Marshall Plan
As the war-torn nations of Europe faced famine and economic crisis in the wake of World War II, the United States proposed to rebuild the continent in the interest of political stability and a healthy world economy. -
N.A.T.O
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is a military alliance of countries from Europe and North America promising collective defence. -
China becomes communist
China officially became a communist in in 1949. But, the Chinese Communist Party was existing as early as the nineteen twenties. This became very significant because they could influence other nearby countries to become communist. -
Alger Hiss gets convicted of perjury
In the conclusion to one of the most spectacular trials in U.S. history, former State Department official Alger Hiss is convicted of perjury. He was convicted of having perjured himself in regards to testimony about his alleged involvement in a Soviet spy ring before and during World War II. Hiss served nearly four years in jail, but steadfastly protested his innocence during and after his incarceration. -
Korean War begins
Fought from June 1950 to July 1953, the Korean War saw Communist North Korea invade its southern, democratic neighbor. -
Dwight Eisenhower becomes president
This is the date that Dwight Eisenhower became president -
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg executed
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, a married couple convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage in 1951, are put to death in the electric chair. The execution marked the dramatic finale of the most controversial espionage case of the Cold War. -
McCarthy hearing begins
Senator Joseph McCarthy begins hearings investigating the United States Army, which he charges with being "soft" on communism. These televised hearings gave the American public their first view of McCarthy in action, and his recklessness, indignant bluster, and bullying tactics quickly resulted in his fall from prominence. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact, so named because the treaty was signed in Warsaw, included the Soviet Union, Albania, Poland, Romania, Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Bulgaria as members. The treaty called on the member states to come to the defense of any member attacked by an outside force and it set up a unified military command under Marshal Ivan S. Konev of the Soviet Union. -
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was the prolonged struggle between nationalist forces attempting to unify the country of Vietnam under a communist government and the United States (with the aid of the South Vietnamese) attempting to prevent the spread of communism. -
John F. Kenndeny
John F Kenndeny was elected president this date. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The Bay of Pigs Invasion proved to be an unsuccessful attempt at overthrowing Fidel Castro. President Kennedy decided not to use air force in the attack, which may be one of the facotrs as to why it did not work. -
Berlin Wall erected
The Berlin Wall was erected August 13, 1961.
It was a weekend and most Berliners slept while the East German government begun to close the border. In the early morning of that Sunday most of the first work was done: the border to West Berlin was closed. The East German troups had begun to tear up streets and to install barbed wire entanglement and fences through Berlin. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
In October 1962, an American U-2 spy plane secretly photographed nuclear missile sites being built by the Soviet Union on the island of Cuba. President Kennedy did not want the Soviet Union and Cuba to know that he had discovered the missiles. -
President Kenndy Assasinated
While riding in a motorcade in Dealy Plaza, Kennedy was shot. Oswald was accused of the murder, he was also shot while being transferred from one location to another. During the height of the war, this tragedy had a great impact of the United States' morale. -
Lyndon B. Johnson
In the 1960 campaign, Johnson, as John F. Kennedy's running mate, was elected Vice President. On November 22, 1963, when Kennedy was assassinated, Johnson was sworn in as President. -
Gulf of Tonkin incident
Shortly after taking office following the death of President John F. Kennedy, President Lyndon B. Johnson became concerned about South Vietnam's ability to fend off the Communist Viet Cong guerillas that were operating in the country. -
Richard M. Nixon
His election in 1968 had climaxed a career unusual on two counts: his early success and his comeback after being defeated for President in 1960 and for Governor of California in 1962. -
Vietnameization Begins
U.S. troops withdraw from Vietnam. The motive was to encourage the South Vietnamese to take initiative in the war. All men in South Vietname between the ages of 17 and 43 were called into the war. -
Kent State protest
On May 4, l970 members of the Ohio National Guard fired into a crowd of Kent State University demonstrators, killing four and wounding nine Kent State students. The impact of the shootings was dramatic. The event triggered a nationwide student strike that forced hundreds of colleges and universities to close. H. R. Haldeman, a top aide to President Richard Nixon, suggests the shootings had a direct impact on national politics. -
Ronald Reagan becomes president
On January 20, 1981, Reagan took office. Only 69 days later he was shot by a would-be assassin, but quickly recovered and returned to duty. His grace and wit during the dangerous incident caused his popularity to soar. Dealing skillfully with Congress, Reagan obtained legislation to stimulate economic growth, curb inflation, increase employment, and strengthen national defense. -
Mikhail Gorbachev leads the Soviet Union
When Mikhail S. Gorbachev (1931-) became general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in March 1985, he launched his nation on a dramatic new course. His dual program of “perestroika” (“restructuring”) and “glasnost” (“openness”) introduced profound changes in economic practice, internal affairs and international relations. -
Berlin Wall was torn down
The 96-mile wall split families and friends, and became a symbol of the Cold War divisions between East and West, and communism and capitalism. East German guards were ordered to shoot anybody who attempted to cross to West Berlin, and nearly 100 people died trying to escape. -
Germany is reunfied
Borders between Hungary and Austria were removed in 1989. Soon, the travel restrictions on East Germany were removed. East Germany also held its first free elections in 1989. -
Soviet Collapse
In December of 1991, as the world watched in amazement, the Soviet Union disintegrated into fifteen separate countries. Its collapse was hailed by the west as a victory for freedom, a triumph of democracy over totalitarianism, and evidence of the superiority of capitalism over socialism. -
Creation of demilitarized zone in Korea
The Korean Demilitarized Zone is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula that serves as a buffer zone between North and South Korea. The DMZ is a de-facto border barrier, which runs along the 38th parallel north.
