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Cold War Starts
Two superpowers, the United States and Soviet Union, were in disagreement on geopolitical, ideological, and economic issues which is why this war started. They were turned to face each other after the war with Germany and Japan. -
Churchill's Iron Curtain Speech
Winston Churchill condemns the Soviet Union's policies in Europe. This speech announces the beginning of the Cold War as well. -
Truman Doctrine
This doctrine was to support the countries threatened by the Soviet Union or communist forces. Communists saw this as an open declaration. -
Berlin Blockade
The Soviet Union's plan to block the Western Allies' canal, road, and railway access to the areas under Western control. This plan was to highlight the ideological and economic visions for postwar Europe. -
NATO Founded
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was an alliance for the intergovernmental military. The member states agreed to mutual defense in response to an attack by an external party. -
Korean War Starts
The Korean War started once the North Korean army crossed the 38th Parallel and invaded South Korea which is non-communist. The United States came to South Korea's aid. -
Hydrogen Bomb Exploded in Pacific
The first air-borne test of an improved hydrogen bomb dropped by the United States. It was dropped over a tiny island in the Pacific Ocean. -
Eisenhower Elected President
The 42nd President who was a Republican wanting to control the House and the Senate. The fear of communism in the US started during his presidency and the tension level was still high between us and the Soviet Union. -
Stalin Dies
It may come surprising that Stalin only died from a stroke because many wanted him dead. He suffered from several health issues for several years. -
Khrushchev Becomes Soviet Premier
A close associate of Joseph Stalin that when he died, Khruschev took the position of first secretary of the communist party. He additionally worked closely with George Malenkov. -
Warsaw Pact Formed
This pact, the Warsaw Treaty Organization, was a military and political alliance. It included the Soviet Union and several European countries. -
Suez Canal Crisis
This crisis started from an American and British decision to not finance Egypt's construction. Nasser reacted to this by declaring martial law. -
McCarthy Dies
The 48 year old died of an illness from his alcoholism. He was a key figure in the anticommunist world and was known as the "Red Scare". -
NASA Created
President Eisenhower signs an act to create the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. This pushes America into more of a leadership role in the space age. -
Cuban Revolution
Fidel Castro's allies fight against the authoritarian government of Cuba. This revolution lasted until their government was replaced with a revolutionary socialist state. -
Kennedy Elected
Kennedy defeated Richard Nixon, the Republican Vice President in a close race. He was elected as was the youngest President and first Catholic. -
Soviet Union sends first person into space
A Soviet 27 year old test pilot, was the first man to orbit the planet. He made this journey in 89 minutes. -
Berlin Wall
A barrier that the German Democratic Republic divided Berlin into. West Berlin was separated from East Germany and from East Berlin. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
This crisis lasted 13 days between the Soviet Union and the US. It concerned Soviet ballistic missile deployment in Cuba. This was extremely close to being a nuclear war. Khrushchev made an agreement to Cuba's request to put nuclear missiles in Cuba to discourage Cuba's future harassment. -
Kennedy Assassinated
As his wife sat next to him in an open-top convertible traveling through Dallas, Texas, Kennedy was shot twice and killed. Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested for committing this crime.
