Cold War Timeline By beckarc May 8, 1945 End of WWII Jun 24, 1948 Berlin Blockade Begins Apr 4, 1949 NATO created Oct 1, 1949 Mao Zedong takes over China Jun 25, 1950 Korean War Begins Jul 2, 1959 Cuba Taken Over by Castro Nov 8, 1960 Kennedy Elected President Apr 17, 1961 Bay of Pigs Invasion April 17, 1961 Oct 22, 1962 Cuban Missle Crisis Nov 22, 1963 Kennedy Assassinated Aug 2, 1964 Gulf of Tonkin Incident May 26, 1972 SALT 1 signed Aug 9, 1974 Nixon Resigns Jun 18, 1979 SALT II signed Nov 19, 1986 Iran Contra Affair Nov 9, 1989 Berlin Wall Falls Jun 5, 2004 Ronald Reagan Elected President