Cold War By scedillo101 Aug 6, 1945 U.S. drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. Aug 8, 1945 The United States dropped the second atomic bomb on Nagasaki. Aug 14, 1945 The Japanese surrendered bringing World War Two to an end. Sep 2, 1945 Ho Chi Minh proclaimed Vietnam an independent republic. Mar 5, 1946 Churchill delivers his 'Sinews of Peace' speech which contain the famous phrase "..an iron curtain has descended on Europe" Mar 12, 1947 President Truman promised to help any country facing a Communist takeover Jun 5, 1947 Marshall Plan Sep 1, 1947 The USSR set up Cominform Jun 1, 1948 The French, USA and UK partitions of Germany were merged to form West Germany Jun 24, 1948 Berlin Blockade Apr 4, 1949 NATO formed May 1, 1949 End of Berlin Blockade Jun 25, 1950 Korean War Mar 5, 1953 Death of Stalin Jul 27, 1953 Korean War May 14, 1955 Warsaw Pact Oct 23, 1956 Hungarian Revolution Oct 30, 1956 Suez Crisis Nov 1, 1957 USSR Sputnik II carried Laika the dog, the first living creature to go into space. Apr 12, 1961 Russian cosmonaut Yuri Alekseyvich Gagarin became the first human being in space. Apr 17, 1961 Bay of Pigs Invasion Aug 13, 1961 Berlin wall built and borders sealed between East and West Germany. Oct 14, 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis Nov 22, 1963 JFK Assassination Oct 15, 1964 Nikita Krushchev removed from office. He was replaced by Leonid Brezhnev.