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Hiroshima and Nagasaki
America drops atomic bombs on Japanese -
Korea Divided at 38th Parallel
At the end of WWII, Korea is divided at the 38th Parallel and two new states are established. North and South Korea -
Ho Chi Minh Declares Independence
Vietnamese nationalist declares Vietnam's independence from France -
Czech Communists Win
Czechoslovakian Communists win control of the national government -
Berlin Blockade
After the US, Britain, and France introduce the Deutsche Mark to serve as a single currency for their three zones of occupation in western Germany, the Soviets impose the Berline blockade -
Economic Cooperation
COMECON is formed as a Soviet answer to the Marshall Plan -
Soviet Atomic Bomb
Soviet Union detonates its first atomic bomb, causing shock and fear in the US -
Vietnam and Soviets Ally
Vietnamese nationalist leader Ho Chi Minh visits Soviet leader Josef Stalin to discuss whether an alliance will be benefitual -
North attacks South Korea
The Korean War begins as North Korean troops attack across the 38th parallel in effort to "liberate" South Korea -
US Aids South Korea
President Harry Truman orders American forces to assist South Korea, which is being overrun by Communist North Korean troops -
NATO Forms Military Command
North Atlantic Treaty rganization forms a joint military command, choosing American general Dwight Eisenhower as Supreme Commander -
Negotiations begin in Korea
Peace negotiations begin in Korea, but will drag on for two more years -
US ends Japanese occupation
Nearly seven years after V-J Day, the US ends its military occupation of Japan -
Khrushchev leads soviets
Nikita Khrushchev becomes Soviet Communist Party leader aftere triumphing in the intra-party power struggles that follow Josef Stalin's death -
Open Skies
President Eisenhower and Soviet Premier Nikolai Bulganin meet in Geneva for the first postwar Soviet-American summit meeting.Eisenhower makes his "Open Skies" proposal to the Soviets, offering to allow each superpower to conduct surveillance flights over the other in order to put to rest both sides' fears of surprise attacks. Bulganin rejects the idea. -
U2 Spy Plane Developed
Americans fly the first U2 spy plane over Moscow. The U2 is designed to fly at such a high altitude that it remains out of range of Soviet weapons and undetectable to Soviet radar. -
Soviets Crush Hungary
The Hungarian Revolution is crushed by a Soviet Red Army invasion. Hungarian leader Imre Nagywaits in vain for Western help, but the Soviets install a new, servile government under staunch Communist Janos Kadar. -
Sputnik Launched
The Soviets launch Sputnik, the first man-made object to orbit the earth. The Soviets' technological success in building the world's first satellite strikes fear in the hearts of Americans and launches the space race. -
North American Defense
The United States and Canada join together to form the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to monitor the skies for Soviet nuclear attack. -
NASA Created
The United States creates NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, to lead the space race with the Soviet Union. -
U2 Shot Down Over Soviet Union
American pilot Gary Powers's U2 spy plane is shot down over the Soviet Union. President Eisenhower denies responsibility for the international incident and refuses to apologize, precipitating the collapse of a planned Paris summit between the United States and Soviet Union.
