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Period: to
Cold War 1947-1966
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Truman Doctrine
In a plea to Congress, Truman requested backing for "free peoples" fighting against oppression from armed groups or external forces. Congress approves $400 million in assistance to Greece and Turkey to help them fight Communist rebels. -
Marshall Plan
In 1946, Secretary of State George C. Marshall proposed a plan for European economic recovery, offering aid in planning and subsequent financial support. However, Soviet influence led to Eastern European nations withdrawing from the initial Paris planning meeting. -
Containment Policy
In a 1947 article in Foreign Affairs, George Kennan, writing under a nickname, outlined a US policy of containment. This policy aimed to prevent the spread of Soviet power through peaceful means, focusing on areas exposed to Soviet influence. -
Communists take over in Czech
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Communist Takeover in Czechoslovakia
After the Communist takeover of Czechoslovakia, concerns grew about the spread of communist influence to other nations. -
Brussels Pact organized to protect Europe from communism
A mutual defense agreement signed in 1948 by the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. -
Berlin Blockade
The Soviet Union blocks all highway, river, and rail access to Western-controlled West Berlin in an attempt to drive the Western powers out of the city. -
NATO Established
Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Iceland, and Italy unite to form an alliance. -
Berlin Blockade ends
When the Soviet Union ended its blockade of West Berlin. This blockade, which began in June 1948 and lasted 11 months, had severed land and river access to the western parts of Berlin controlled by the Allies. -
Russia Tested Its First Atomic Bomb
On August 29, 1949, the Soviet Union conducted its first atomic bomb test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in Kazakhstan. -
Truman approved H-bomb development
In 1950, President Harry S. Truman authorized the development of the hydrogen bomb. He officially announced his decision on January 31, 1950, instructing the Atomic Energy Commission to move forward with the project. -
Joe McCarthy begins Communist witch hunt and loyalty tests
Joe McCarthy’s public role in the Communist witch hunts and loyalty investigations began in February 1950, when he delivered a speech claiming to possess a list of communists employed by the State Department. This speech launched his campaign to uncover supposed communists in the government and other sectors, initiating the era known as “McCarthyism” and fueling the Red Scare. -
Korean War
North Korean forces unexpectedly crossed the 38th parallel, launching an invasion of South Korea and triggering the start of the Korean War. -
Federal Civil Defense Administration established
President Harry S. Truman established the Federal Civil Defense Administration (FCDA) on December 1, 1950, through Executive Order 10186. It was officially made a government agency with the passage of the Federal Civil Defense Act on January 12, 1951. -
Truman fires MacArthur
On April 11, 1951, President Harry Truman dismissed General Douglas MacArthur from his position as commander of UN forces in Korea after MacArthur openly criticized Truman’s strategy. -
Peace treaty with Japan is signed
The United States maintains a military presence to defend Japan and also establishes a mutual security agreement with the Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand, known as the ANZUS Pact. -
A-bombs developed by Britain
In 1952, Britain tested its first atomic bomb, codenamed "Hurricane," becoming the third nation after the United States and the Soviet Union to develop nuclear weapons. -
Eisenhower elected president
In January 1952, Eisenhower declared his affiliation with the Republican Party and expressed his willingness to answer the American people's call to run for President. -
Truman denounces McCarthy for "anti-Communist tactics"
President Harry Truman openly condemned Senator Joseph McCarthy for his "anti-Communist tactics" following McCarthy’s rise to national attention through his claims of communist infiltration in the U.S. State Department. -
Joseph Stalin dies
Stalin's health kept worsening, and he passed away at 9:50 p.m. on March 5, 1953. The following day, his death was announced on Radio Moscow by Yuri Levitan. -
RAND report on the "Vulnerability of U. S. Strategic Air Power"
This report revealed the true state of the U.S. Air Force, highlighting numerous vulnerabilities and areas of weakness. -
H-bomb Castle-Bravo test
Castle Bravo was the initial test in a series of high-yield thermonuclear weapon experiments carried out by the United States at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands, under Operation Castle. The detonation took place on March 1, 1954. -
Fall of Dienbienphu
The French military suffers a defeat in Vietnam. -
SEATO
Australia, Britain, France, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, New Zealand, and the United States establish an anti-communist alliance to counter "massive military aggression." -
Civil Defense
The United States conducted its first nationwide civil defense drill, marking a significant advancement for the global civil defense movement. -
Geneva Summit Conference
Eisenhower, Khrushchev, and Eden held talks on disarmament and European security. Eisenhower suggested the "Open Skies" plan, which would permit aerial surveillance of each other's lands. -
Baghdad Pact signed
Great Britain, Iran, Iraq, and Turkey signed the agreement, with the United States committing to provide military and political support. -
Khrushchev denounces Stalin
In a speech to the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. -
USSR sent tanks into Poznan, Poland, to suppress demonstrations by workers
In June 1956, the Soviet Union sent tanks into Poznań, Poland, to crush worker-led protests. -
Hungarians revolt against Communist rule
This led them to make desperate but unsuccessful appeals for U.S. help as Soviet forces brutally suppressed the resistance. -
Eisenhower Doctrine presented to Congress
It authorized the President to deploy troops to the Middle East to counter Communist aggression, strengthening and expanding the strategic capabilities of the U.S. military presence in the region. -
Common Market
Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West Germany agreed to create the European Economic Community (EEC). -
Sputnik launched into orbit
On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite, signaling the start of both the Space Age and the Space Race. -
Explorer I launched
On January 31, 1958, the United States officially entered the Space Race with the successful launch of Explorer 1, its first satellite. -
NASA began Mercury project using Atlas rocket
This marked NASA's first crewed spaceflight program, designed to send humans into orbit around Earth. -
Khrushchev delivers ultimatum
Initiate East-West negotiations on the future of Germany—envisioning a reunified, neutral, and denuclearized nation—or risk a permanent division; however, Khrushchev eventually retreats from his stance. -
Cuban Revolution
Fidel Castro assumed the position of premier of Cuba on January 6, making major headlines and ushering in a prolonged period of turmoil for the country. -
The Kitchen Debate
It involved a series of informal talks, conducted through interpreters, between U.S. Vice President (later President) Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev at the opening of the American National Exhibition in Sokolniki Park, Moscow, on July 24, 1959. -
Antarctica Treaty
Signed in Washington, twelve nations agreed to designate Antarctica solely for scientific research, prohibiting any political or military activities. -
Cuban exiles
Eisenhower gave the green light to the CIA’s proposal to prepare Cuban exiles for covert operations aimed at destabilizing Castro’s government. -
U-2 incident
On May 5, 1960, the Soviet Union disclosed that a U.S. spy plane, flown by Francis Gary Powers, had been shot down over Soviet airspace. This event, called the U-2 incident, happened when the high-altitude U-2 plane was struck by an SA-2 surface-to-air missile. -
Cuba Aligns With Soviet Union
After Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution, Cuba openly allied with the Soviet Union. This partnership was based on common Marxist-Leninist beliefs, economic ties, and strategic interests amid the Cold War. -
John F. Kennedy inaugurated
On January 20, 1961, Inauguration Day, almost one million people in the nation’s capital endured freezing temperatures to see the newly elected President. The country and its leader faced pressing challenges, including the Communist threat, the nuclear arms race, racial tensions, and economic difficulties. -
Vienna Summit
Khrushchev renewed his ultimatum demanding talks on Germany within six months or the country would face permanent division. In response, Kennedy called for a military buildup and launched a civil defense program. -
Berlin border is closed
In August 1961, after consulting with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, East German Premier Walter Ulbricht chose to seal off the border between East and West Berlin. -
U.S. involvement in Vietnam increases
In 1962, the United States greatly expanded its military involvement in South Vietnam by increasing the number of military advisors, taking on more direct combat responsibilities, and creating new command organizations. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis, a tense 13-day standoff in October 1962, brought the United States and the Soviet Union to the brink of nuclear war. It was triggered by the Soviet Union’s covert placement of nuclear missiles in Cuba, located just 90 miles from Florida’s coast. -
United States ends Cuban blockade
On November 20, 1962, the United States ended its naval blockade of Cuba following the Soviet Union's agreement to dismantle and withdraw its nuclear missiles from the island. -
"Hot Line" established
A direct teletype communication line between the White House and the Kremlin was set up to begin service on August 30. -
Kennedy signs Limited Test Ban Treaty Britain
Known as the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, this pact prohibited nuclear tests conducted in the atmosphere, in space, and beneath the water. -
South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem is assassinated
On November 1, 1963, top military generals, aided by the Central Intelligence Agency, carried out a coup d'état. Diệm and his brother Nhu initially fled but were captured the next day and assassinated under the orders of Dương Văn Minh, who then became president. -
Gulf of Tonkin incident
The Gulf of Tonkin Incident involved events in August 1964 where North Vietnamese forces reportedly attacked two US destroyers, the USS Maddox and the USS Turner Joy, in the Gulf of Tonkin. These incidents prompted President Lyndon B. Johnson to request congressional authorization for a major escalation of U.S. military involvement in the Vietnam War. -
A-bombs developed by China
On October 16, 1964, China successfully detonated its first atomic bomb, known as "Project 596" or "Miss Qiu," at the Lop Nur test site. This milestone marked China’s entry into the global nuclear club, making it the fifth country to acquire nuclear weapons. -
Lyndon B. Johnson elected President
Lyndon B. Johnson became President after John F. Kennedy's assassination in 1963 and was then elected in his own right in the 1964 presidential election. His victory in 1964 was a landslide, securing the largest share of the popular vote ever received by a Democratic candidate. -
U.S. Marines sent to Dominican Republic to fight Communism
In 1965, U.S. Marines were deployed to the Dominican Republic mainly to evacuate American citizens and other foreigners, as well as to prevent what was seen as a potential communist takeover. -
Announcement of dispatching of 200,000 U.S. troops to Vietnam
President Lyndon B. Johnson announced plans to raise U.S. military forces in Vietnam from 75,000 to 125,000 troops, with the possibility of further increases if needed. He also stated that monthly draft calls would double from 17,000 to 35,000 to meet the manpower requirements. -
Battle of the Ia Drang Valley
The initial significant confrontation between the United States and the North Vietnamese Army. -
B-52s Bomb North Vietnam
For the first time, Strategic Air Command B-52 bombers launched attacks on targets in North Vietnam, striking the Mu Gia Pass—a vital enemy supply route near Laos and an entry point to the Ho Chi Minh Trail. This bombing was part of Operation ROLLING THUNDER. -
Anti-Vietnam War rallies
In 1966, the anti-Vietnam War movement grew rapidly as the war escalated and changes were made to the draft policies of the Selective Service System. Protests evolved from educational teach-ins to sit-ins, and student-led takeovers of administrative offices became more frequent. -
Chinese Cultural Revolution begin
The Cultural Revolution in China, lasting from 1966 to 1976, was a social and political campaign launched by Mao Zedong, Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), to reinforce his control and revive the revolutionary zeal across the nation.