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The Iron Curtain
A political, military, and ideological barrier established by the Soviet Union after WWII. Its goal was to seal off its dependent European Allies from open contact with the West and other non-communist areas.
http://www.britannica.com/event/Iron-Curtain -
The Berlin Blockade
An attempt by the Soviet Union to limit the ability of France, Great Britain, and the United States to travel to their sectors of Berlin that resided in Russia-occupied East Germany. The Western Powers soon established an airlift to deliver much needed supplies to the relief of West Berlin. Looked at as the first major conflict of the Cold War.
http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/berlin-blockade -
Forming of Nato
The idea of further communist expansion prompted the United States and 11 other Western Nations to form the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The Soviet Union and its afficted Communist Nations then retaliated by forming the Warsaw Pact in 1955. This allignment provied for the military standoff that continued throughout the entire Cold War.
http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/formation-of-nato-and-warsaw-pact -
Sputnik
The Soviet Union launches the first artificial satellite (about the size of a beach ball) into space. Sputnik, as it was called, ushered a whole new era of political, military, scientific, and technological development and is marked as the start of the Space Race between the USA and the Soviet Union.
http://history.nasa.gov/sputnik/ -
The U2-Incident
An American U-2 Spy plane was shot down while conducting espionage over the Soviet Union. The incident completely tarnished and derailed n important meeting between President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev scheduled for later in the month.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/american-u-2-spy-plane-shot-down -
Yuri Alekseyvich Gagarin
The Russians Scored a victory in the Space Race as Yuri Gagarin became the first man in Space, traveling in a small aircraft for a 108 minute flight.
http://www.space.com/16159-first-man-in-space.html -
Bay of Pigs
The United States and their Central Intelligence Agency launched what their leaders believed would be a definitive strike, a full scale invasion of Cuba by 1400 American trained Cubans who lefted their homes when Fidal Castro took over Cuba. The invasion hower, did not go well, the invaders surrendered within 24hrs and were vastly outnumbered by Castro's men.
http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/bay-of-pigs-invasion -
Berlin Wall Creation
The Berlin Wall was built by the communist government of East Berlin 1961. The wall separated East Berlin and West Berlin. It was built in order to prevent people from fleeing East Berlin. In many ways it was the perfect symbol of the "Iron Curtain" that separated the democratic western countries and the communist countries of Eastern Europe throughout the Cold War.
http://www.ducksters.com/history/cold_war/berlin_wall.php -
Cuban Missle Crisis
A 13-day political and military standoff in October 1962 over the installation of nuclear-armed Soviet missiles on Cuba, just 90 miles from U.S. shores. On October 22, 1962, President John Kennedy notified Americans about the presence of the missiles, explained his decision to enact a naval blockade around Cuba and made it clear the U.S. was prepared to use military force if necessary.
http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/cuban-missile-crisis -
Kennedy Assassination
During his visit to Dallas Texas, President John F. Kennedy was shot and killed. This caused for intense mourning throught the United States as many of his supporters claimed that if he lived, he would have done much in the coming years to promote the end of the Cold War.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/kennedy-assassinated -
Apollo 8
The first Space Mission to successfully make it to the Moon. It brought the United States its first major victory in the Space Race after Russia had previously launched Sputnik and sent Yuri Gagarin into orbit. It also outlined for the eventual success of Apollo 11 in the near future.
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/apollo8.htm -
Apollo 11 Lands on the Moon
Apollo 11 was the spaceflight that landed the first humans on the Moon, Americans Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, on July 20, 1969. It essentially ended the Space Race as the United States claimed victory from the Soviet Union.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11 -
Boycott of the Moscow Olympics
President Jimmy Carter announces that the U.S. will boycott the Olympic Games scheduled to take place in Moscow. The announcement came after the Soviet Union failed to comply with Carter’s February 20, 1980, deadline to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan. The Soviet military invaded Afghanistan in 1979 to reinforce the country’s communist regime against Islamic rebel forces.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/carter-announces-olympic-boycott -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
East German Communist Party announced that citizens of the East Germany could cross the border whenever they pleased. That night, ecstatic crowds swarmed the wall. Some crossed freely into West Berlin, while others brought hammers and picks and began to chip away at the wall itself. To this day, the Berlin Wall remains one of the most powerful and enduring symbols of the Cold War.
http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/berlin-wall -
End of the Soviet Union
The world watched in amazement, the Soviet Union disintegrated into 15 separate countries. Its collapse was hailed by the west as a triumph of democracy over totalitarianism, and evidence of the superiority of capitalism over socialism. The United States rejoiced as its formidable enemy was brought to its knees, thereby ending the Cold War.
http://www.coldwar.org/articles/90s/fall_of_the_soviet_union.asp
