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Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference took place in Russian resort town in the crimea. At Yalta, US president Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin made important decisions regarding the future progress of the war and postwar world -
Potsdam Conference
Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill, and Harry Truman, met in Potsdam, Germany to negotiate terms for the end of WW2. After the Yalta Conference of February, Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt had agreed to meet following the surrender of Germany to determine postwar borders in Europe -
First A-Bomb Dropped on Japan
The Hiroshima bomb (aka "Little Boy") was loaded onto the Erola Gay, a B-29 bomber, and departed from the Tinian Island US Air Base. The total death count as a result of dropping the atomic bomb was 140,000. -
V-J Day
Japan surrendered unconditionally to the Allies, effectively ending WWII. August 14th and 15th are known as "Victory Over Japan Day". -
Iron Curtain Speech
Winston Chruchhill delivered a speech in Fulton, Missiouri in which he made references to an Iron Curtain that divided Communist and Capitalist spheres of influence in Europe -
Truman Doctrine
President Harry S. Truman established that the United States would provide political, military and economic assistance to all democratic nations under threat from external or internal authoritarian forces. -
Marshall Plan
The American plan to aid Europe, in which the United States gave economic support to help rebuild European economies after the end of World War II in order to prevent the spread of Soviet Communism. -
Berlin Airlift
The Soviet Union attempted to control Berlin by cutting surface traffic to and from the city of West Berlin in an attemt to force their demands on the US , Great Britain and France. On June 26, 1948, the Berlin Airlift began with U.S. planes delivering supplies to Berlin. After 15months, 277,264 aircraft landed in West Berlin bringing over 2 million tons of supplies -
NATO Treaty Ratified
The North Atlantic Treaty, signed in Washington, D.C. on 4 April 1949, is the treaty establishing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). -
End of Berlin Blockade
The Soviet Union lifts its 11-month blockade against West Berlin. -
Soviets Explode A-Bomb
The Soviet Union exploded its first atomic bomb. It came as a great shock to the United States because they were not expecting the Soviet Union to possess nuclear weapon knowledge so soon. -
Communist Takeover of China
Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong delared the creation of the Peoples Republic of China. This announcement ended the costly full scale civil war between the Chinese Communist and Nationalist leaders -
McCarthyism
Thee practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence -
Launching of Sputnik
The Soviet Union successfully launches the worlds first artificial satellite launching the "Space Age" -
Warsaw Pact
The Soviet Union and seven of its European satellites sign a treaty establishing the Warsaw Pact, a mutual defense organization that put the Soviets in command of the armed forces of the member states. -
Geneva Summit
meeting in Geneva of the leaders of the U.S., France, Britain, and the Soviet Union that sought to end the Cold War. -
Hungarian Uprising
The working class in Hungaria took on and defeated the police and installed a new government, lasting 18 days before being crushed by Soviet tanks. -
Suez War
Isreali forces push into Egypt towards the Suez Canal after Egyptioan President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalizes the canal. -
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg Executed
A married couple convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage in 1951, are put to death in the electric chair. -
US U2 Plane Shot Down
An American U-2 spy plane is shot down while conducting espionage over the Soviet Union. The incident derailed an important summit meeting between President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev that was scheduled for later that month.
