-
U.S. Drops first Atomic Bomb (Hiroshima)
On this day the U.S. dropped the first atomic bomb in the world. This event showed the true, devastating powers of atomic warfare and sparked fear across the globe. -
Truman Doctrine
U.S. President Truman issued a doctrine that pledge to Aide Turkey and Greece against threats from the Soviet Union. The impact of the doctrine was huge because it implied that American troops would help defend any nation subjected to threats from the Soviet Union. This is debatable, and in my opinion, the true beginning of The Cold War. It was an obvious threat and intimidation tactic from the U.S. to get the Soviet Union to stand down and their reluctance spanned the whole war. -
North Atlantic Treaty Organization formed
NATO is a military alliance between nations. Basically the nations that join NATO agree to go to war in defense of other NATO countries when they are threatened by an outside party. -
Soviet Union tests first Atomic Bomb
The Soviet Union tested their first atomic bomb and it was successful. This demonstrated that their weaponry was now on par with the U.S. and they could cause just as much damage in the event of a nuclear war. This only furthered tensions and put more pressure on scientists developing WMDs. -
People's Republic of China forms
Mao Zedong declares China a communist nation. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was a military agreement between the Soviet Union and 7 other countries in Europe. It was basically a rebuttal to NATO. Both Nato and the Warsaw Pact lead to military expansion. -
Soviets launch Sputnik
Sputnik was the world's first satellite that was launched into space. This event is important because it showed that the Soviets were ahead of the U.S. in the "Space Race" -
Fidel Castro Rules Cuba
Fidel Castro becomes the Prime Minister of Cuba and installs a communist government. This creates an alliance with the Soviet Union with a location far to close to home (The U.S.) -
The Bay of Pigs
This event was a CIA-funded and backed military attack on Cuba with American-Trained Cuban soldiers that fled the country when Castro took power. The U.S. troops were highly outnumbered by Cuban troops and were defeated within days. This massive failure had the opposite outcome the U.S. wanted and only helped solidify Castro's position of power. -
Berlin Wall: Construction Begins
East Germany began construction on the Berlin Wall, a wall that divided Berlin into the fascist of West Berlin from the Socialist of East Berlin. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Soviets began to sent ballistic missiles to Cuba to have a closer range of the U.S. in the event of war. This caused a 13-day conflict between the U.S., the Soviet Union, and Cuba. This is known as the closest the Cold War got to becoming an actual nuclear war. -
China explodes first atomic bomb
China joins the Ranks of the U.S. and the Soviet Union with the successful launch of their own atomic bomb. -
End of Soviet Union, End of Cold War
This day marks the end of the cold war. The Soviet Union was dissolved, Russia was formed and Boris Yeltsin became the president. With the U.S.S.R no longer a major threat, global tensions eased.
