Cold War Timeline By ColdWarCollector Feb 4, 1945 Yalta Conference Jul 16, 1945 Potsdam Conference Aug 6, 1945 America Drops The First Atomic Bomb In War Aug 8, 1945 Russia Enters War Against Japan Aug 14, 1945 Japan Surrenders Which Ends WWII Feb 9, 1946 Stalin hostile speech - communism & capitalism were incompatible Mar 5, 1946 Winston Churchill delivers "Iron Curtain" Speech Jul 1, 1946 Operation Crossroads with Test Able was the first public demonstration of America's atomic arsenal Jul 25, 1946 America's Test Baker - underwater explosion Mar 12, 1947 Truman Doctrine - Truman declares active role in Greek Civil War Jun 5, 1947 Marshall Plan is announced setting a precedent for helping countries combat poverty, disease and malnutrition Sep 2, 1947 Rio Pact - U.S. meet 19 Latin American countries and created a security zone around the hemisphere Feb 25, 1948 Communist takeover in Czechoslovakia Mar 2, 1948 Truman's Loyalty Program created to catch Cold War spies Mar 17, 1948 Brussels Pact organized to protect Europe from communism Jun 24, 1948 Berlin Blockade begins lasting 11 months Apr 4, 1949 NATO ratified May 12, 1949 Berlin Blockade ends Aug 29, 1949 Russia tested its first atomic bomb Oct 1, 1949 Communist Mao Zedong takes control of China and establishes the People's Republic of China Jan 30, 1950 Truman approved H-bomb development Feb 1, 1950 Joe McCarthy begins Communist witch hunt and loyalty tests Jun 24, 1950 Korean War begins. Stalin supports North Korea who invade South Korea equipped with Soviet weapons Jan 12, 1951 Federal Civil Defense Administration established Apr 11, 1951 Truman fires MacArthur Mar 17, 1953 March 17-June 4 Nuclear Arms Race atomic test series of 11 explosions at Nevada Test Site Apr 15, 1953 April 15: RAND report on the "Vulnerability of U. S. Strategic Air Power" Jul 27, 1953 Cease Fire Signed Halting War In Korea Dec 8, 1953 Ike's Atoms for Peace speech Mar 1, 1954 H-bomb Castle-Bravo test Mar 1, 1954 KGB Established May 14, 1955 Warsaw Pact Established Jun 29, 1956 USSR sent tanks into Poznan, Poland, to suppress demonstrations by workers Sep 4, 1956 USSR sent military aid to Afghanistan Aug 26, 1957 Vostok rocket launched 1st ICBM Oct 4, 1957 Sputnik launched into orbit
