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Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference decides the post-war status of Germany to be diveded up into four Occupation Zones. This is significant, because the Big Three gained control of Germany. -
Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan
US President Truman gives permission for the atomic bomb to be used against the Japanese city of Hiroshima (this was the world's first military use of an atomic weapon). This is important, because this was used as an attempt to end the Second World War in the Pacific. -
Atomic Bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan
US President Truman gives permission for the world's second and last military use of an atomic weapon against the Japanese city of Nagasaki. This was significant, because this was the second attempt at getting the Japanese to surrender to end of the Second World War. -
Truman Doctrine was introduced
This was an international relations policy set forth by the U.S. President Harry Truman. This was significant, because it stated that the U.S. would support Greece and Turkey with economic and military aid to prevent them from falling into the Soviet sphere. -
Berlin Airlift
Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin ordered the blockade of all land routes from West Germany to Berlin, in an attempt to starve out the French, British, and American forces from the city. This was significant, because the three Western powers launched the Berlin Airlift to supply the citizens of Berlin by air. -
NATO was founded
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is founded by Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States. This was significant, because it resisted the Communist expansion. -
Soviet Union succeeds in testing atomic bomb
The Soviet Union tests its first atomic bomb. The test, known to Americans as Joe 1. This is significant, because the test is a success and the Soviet Union becomes the world's second nuclear power. -
North Korea invades South Korea
North Korea invades South Korea. This is significant, because U.S. and other U.N. members fight North Korean forces. -
Warsaw Pact Founded
The Warsaw Pact was founded in Eastern Europe and includes East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Albania, Bulgaria, and the Soviet Union. It is significant, because it acts as the Communist military counterpart to NATO. -
The "Big 4" attend the Geneva Summit
President Dwight D. Eisenhower of the United States, Prime Minister Anthony Eden of the United Kingdom, Premier Nikolai A. Bulganin of the Soviet Union, and Prime Minister Edgar Faure of France, known as the 'Big Four', attend the Geneva Summit. It is important, because it brought together world leaders to begin discussing peace. -
Soviets launch first satelite into space
A Soviet R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile launched Sputnik (Russian for “traveler”). This is significant, because this was the world’s first artificial satellite and the first man-made object to be placed into the Earth’s orbit. This was also the start of the "Space Race." -
The end of the Cuban Revolution
Fidel Castro becomes the leader of Cuba. This is important, because Cuba changes to a Communist government. -
Bay of Pigs Invation
This was a CIA-backed invasion of Cuba by counter-revolutionaries. The attack was launched from Guatemala, the invading force was defeated within three days by the Cuban armed forces, under the direct command of Prime Minister Fidel Castro. This was significant, because it ended in failure. -
Berlin Wall is built
The Berlin Wall is built by the Soviets following the breakdown in talks to decide the future of Germany. The barrier included guard towers placed along large concrete walls, which circumscribed a wide area (later known as the "death strip") that contained anti-vehicle trenches, "fakir beds" and other defenses. This was significant, because the wall completely cut off (by land) West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin. -
Cuban Missil Crisis
The Soviets have secretly been installing military bases, including nuclear weapons, on Cuba, some 90 miles from the US mainland. Kennedy orders a "quarantine" (a naval blockade) of the island that intensifies the crisis and brings the US and the USSR to the brink of nuclear war. This is important, because both sides reach a compromise. The Soviets back down and agree to withdraw their nuclear missiles from Cuba. -
JFK shot and killed
John F. Kennedy is shot and killed in Dallas by Lee Harvey Oswald. There has been some speculation over whether communist countries or even CIA were involved in the assassination, but those theories remain controversial. This is important, because Kennedy's vice-president Lyndon B. Johnson becomes President of the United States. -
China tests their first atomic bomb
China tests its first atomic bomb. This is important, because this makes China the world's fifth nuclear power. -
US invades Dominican Republic
US forces invade the Dominican Republic. This is significant, because it prevented a communist takeover like the one that occurred in Cuba. -
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
This international treaty's objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology. This is important, because it promoted cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament. -
First man on the moon
Neil Armstrong of NASA’s Apollo 11 mission, became the first man to set food on the moon. This is significant, because this made the Americans the winners of the "Space Race". -
Four Power Agreement on Berlin
This agreement confirmed the existence of the rights and responsibilities of the four Powers for the future of Berlin and Germany as a whole. This is significant, because it reestablished ties between the two parts of Berlin, improved travel and communications between the two parts of the city and brought numerous improvements for the residents of the Western Sectors. -
Nixon visits China
This is important, because it is the first visit by a U.S. President since the establishment of the People's Republic of China. -
SALT II
U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Soviet leader, Leonid Brezhnev, sign the SALT II agreement. This is important, because this agreement outlined the limitations and guidelines for nuclear weapons. -
The Poland Gdańsk Agreement is signed
After a wave of strikes which began at the Lenin Shipyards in Gdańsk. This is important, because the agreement allows greater civil rights, such as the establishment of a trade union independent of communist party control. -
US invades Grenada
U.S. forces invade the Caribbean island of Grenada. This is important, because the US wanted to overthrow the Marxist military government, expel Cuban troops, and abort the construction of a Soviet-funded airstrip. -
End of the Cold War
US President George H. W. Bush, after receiving a phone call from Boris Yeltsin, delivers a Christmas Day speech acknowledging the end of the Cold War.
