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American scientists successfully test the first atomic bomb in New Mexico.
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The American bomber Enola Gay drops an atomic bomb nicknamed "Little Boy" on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The instant devastation unleashed on Hiroshima shocks the world and ushers in the nuclear age.
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British Prime Minister Winston Churchill gives his famous "Iron Curtain" speech at a college graduation in Fulton, Missouri: "From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent.
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In a speech later remembered as the "Truman Doctrine," President Harry S. Truman pledges American assistance to any nation in the world threatened by Communism, officially establishing the worldwide containment of Communism as a vital American national security interest.
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American voters reelect Democrat Harry Truman to serve another term as president. The unpopular Truman's narrow victory over Republican Thomas Dewey comes as a major upset.
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The Soviet Union detonates its first atomic bomb, causing shock and fear in the United States.
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The Korean War begins as North Korean troops attack across the 38th parallel in an effort to "liberate" South Korea.
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The Soviets close the border between East and West Germany, but not between East and West Berlin. The capital city becomes a gateway for people wishing to cross between the two Germanys, mainly fleeing from the Communist East to the more prosperous West.
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The Soviets explode their first hydrogen bomb, a mere nine months after the United States accomplished the same feat. The Soviets' determination to keep up with American technological developments signals their commitment to the arms race.
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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.
