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Soviet Create & Test Nuclear Bomb Part Two
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/soviets-explode-atomic-bomb' >Soviets explode atomic bomb</a>At Semipalatinsk in Kazakhstan, the Soviets successfully detonated their first nuclear bomb, joining the United States as countries that controlled a nuclear weapon. The code name for this nuke was "First Lightning". The United States received knowledge of the Soviets creating their own nuclear bomb in September, when a US spy plane picked up a large amount of radiation in Siberia. This of course led to US President Harry Truman announcing that the US wasn't the only country with nuclear weapons -
Soviet Creates & Test Nuclear Bomb
This effects the cold war because of the huge influence it had on the arms race. Since the Soviets now had an atomic bomb also, it only seemed like a matter of time before their would be warfare. Because of this, both parties began to stock up on weapons in case war were to happen. This also made mutually assured destrution imminent, because since the Soviets had the formula they began to make nuclear in mass quantities, leading to an immediate retalliation if a nuke was set off. -
Soviet Launches Sputnik
A tiny satellite that orbited the Earth shocked many Americans. The launch of Sputnik I had led to much celebration by Soviets along with much anger and shock by Americans. Americans began to point fingers at those in charge for falling so behind compared to the Soviet's space program. The "space race" had begun, which was asking the question of which country would send the first man to the moon.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/soviet-union-launches-sputnik-i -
U-2 Spy Plane Controversy
The United States got caught spying at the Soviet Union, when a U-2 spyplane was shot down along with the pilot being captured. This led to Dwight Eisenhower admitting that the CIA had been spying on what the Soviets were doing. This led to lines being drawn and no trust between the two nations.
http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/u2-spy-incident -
US Sends a Man to the Moon
in response to the Soviet Union's release of Sputnik I, the United States amped up their pursuit to be the first country to send a man to the moon. They succeded, as Neil Armstrong stated when getting off the Apollo 11, "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." This had the same feeling to the Soviets as it did with Americans in Sputnik. There was just disbelief that America had beaten the Soviets. The feeling of losing had a poor impact on soviets.
https://www.quora.com -
Nixon Visits China
As a step to try and stabalize the the relationship between the United States and the People's Republic of China, President Richard Nixon went to China. This visit was the beginning of reestablishing a relationship with Commuist China. The tension arose when China supported North Vietnam, while the United States supported South Vietnam. This visit was an attempt to make a treaty acceptable to the United States, as South Vietnam were being dominated by Communist aggresors. -
Nixon Visits China Part Two
Along with attempting to make peace from a brutal war, the United States were attempting to make an ally in PRC while driving them away from their tense relationship with the USSR. This way the two biggest communist powers would split.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/nixon-arrives-in-china-for-talks -
1980 Olympic Hockey Game
In the 1980 winter olympics, a bunch of hockey players from America shocked the world by going all the way and winning gold. Although seemingly unimportant to the cold war, the United States' defeat of the Soviet Union in the semifinal left a bitter taste in most Soviet's mouths. A bunch of professional hockey players for the Soviet Union were defeated by a bunch of American kids. The United States then went on to defeat Finland to win gold.
http://www.orda.org/miracle/
