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Eisenhower Doctrine
President Eisenhower affirmed American support for any government that was fighting against communism in the Middle East. To show his commitment, he sent 5000 marines to Lebanon to discourage any kind of take over.
http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/eisenhower-doctrine -
Sputnik
Sputnik officially started the Space Race. On Oct. 4, 1957, the Soviets launched a 183-pound shiny sphere-about the size of a beach ball- from Central Asia. It had a radio transmitter, and it orbited earth in 98 minutes. This sparked the space race, anxiety and the creation of NASA.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/sputnik-launched -
The U-2 Incident
A US spy plane- piloted by CIA Francis G. Powers- was shot down by a ground to air missile while flying over Russia. He was on a mission to get photographs of two missile test sites in the Soviet Union. This brought on heated communications between USSR and the US and led to the collapse of the Paris Summit.
http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/u2-spy-incident -
The Bay of Pigs Invasion
The Bay of Pigs Invasion was a failed military invasion of Cuba- the CIA attempted to groom Cuban Refugees to fight and start a Coup against the government. They were defeated in 3 days.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-bay-of-pigs-invasion-begins -
The Creation of the Berlin Wall
The German Democratic Republic erected a wall that shut out West Berlin from their neighbors to the East (Germany and East Berlin) It was not taken down until November of 1989.
http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/berlin-wall -
The Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a 13 day standoff between the US and USSR over presence of nuclear Soviet missiles on Cuba. Kennedy saw it as a real threat due to the proximity from Cuba to the US (just 90 miles). President Kennedy commanded a naval blockade around Cuba and made it clear he was prepared to go to war if the missiles were not removed. Resolution was reached: Cuban missiles removed and US removed the ones in Turkey.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/cuban-missile-crisis
