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Berlin Wall is Built
The Berlin Wall was a tactic by the USSR to stop emigration from East Berlin. The wall's purpose was to divide the Democratic West side from the Communist East side. Standing at almost twelve feet tall, the wall was a symbol of the Cold War. -
NATO is Formed
On April 4, 1949 the group NATO was formed. The group included the United States and Western, non Soviet Europe. This big alliance prompted the reaction of The Warsaw pact formed by the Soviet countries and the USSR. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was a big alliance created in response to NATO being formed. The members included the Soviet Union, Albania, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Eastern Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Bulgaria. This created two major alliances, much like how pre WWI and pre WWII were before they started warfare. -
Sputnik I is Launched
The Sputnik I was the first Earth-Made satellite launched into orbit. The satellite was created and launched by the Soviet Union. This prompted the United States to start a space program and to start the space race. -
Laika Launched Into Orbit
The Soviet Union won yet another one in the space race. On November 3, 1957, the USSR launched Laika (a stray dog) into orbit. Although it seems cruel to launch a dog into space only to have it die within hours of being in space, it was a big victory for the USSR and it opened the door for human space exploration. -
The U-2 Incident
A U-2 Spy Plane was shot down in Soviet territory on May 1, 1960. The pilot, Francis Gray Powers was captured and was sent back to America in a prisoner swap after two years. This incident caused major tension between the two nations. -
Yuri Alekseyvich Gagarin First Human In Space
Another huge milestone for the exploration of space Yuri Alekseyvich Gagarin became the first human in space. He completed an orbit of the earth in the Vostok Spacecraft. Another big victory for the USSR in the space race -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
In 1959 Fidel Castro overthrew the American-supported leader of Cuba, Fulgencio Batista. America Tried for a very long time to get Castro out of power. In 1916, the United States launched an invasion of trained Cuban exiles in an attempt to overthrow Castro. It failed horrible and this cause Cuba to ask for the USSR's help. -
Cuban Missile Crisis Begins
On October 14,1962 a U-2 spy plane discovered nuclear missiles in Cuba, 90 miles from the American coast. Tensions over Cuba between the USSR and the United States became intensified after the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion. This crisis would be the closest to nuclear destruction the world would have ever been. -
Cuban Missile Crisis Ends
After weeks of tense negations USSR leader, Nikita Khrushchev agrees to remove Russian missiles from Cuba. He would do this under the conditions that the United States would respect Cuba's decision to rule themselves. Both sides were affected by this event. The USSR was mad at Khrushchev for backing out of Cuba and the rest of Europe was mad at the United States for not letting them know about the whole situation. -
United States Lands Man on Moon
After an intense barrage of sending satellites, men, and even dogs into space, the United States successfully landed a man on the moon. Neil Armstrong landed on the moon at 10:56 EDT. After taking the loss of having the USSR be the first to launch a satellite into orbit, this has a huge victory for the United States. -
SALT Signed
The Strategic Arms Limitations Treaty was signed on May 27, 1972. The treaty was to help reduce the amount of nuclear weapons each country had. The SALT Treaty was a huge step in ending th eCold War. -
Berlin Wall is Destroyed
After long political discussions, the Berlin Wall was to be torn down. President Ronald Reagan is famously quoted as saying "Mr. Gorbachev (the leader of Russia) tear down this wall." The wall was destroyed and the population of East Berlin was allowed to cross into West Berlin. -
Reunification of Germany
After the falling of the Berlin Wall, talks of reunification between east and west Germany started. With help from US, British, French, and Russian advisors, Germany became a unified country. Less than two months later, Helmut Kohl was elected to be reunified Germany's first chancellor. -
Russia Ends Soviet Union
The Soviet Union lowers the sickle and hammer for the last time. Leader Mikhail Gorbachev puts a stop to communist control over Russia. The USSR is officially over.
