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The Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was also known as the European Recovery Plan, because that is pricesely what it aimed to do. It was meant to provide relief for the destruction caused by WWII. -
Creation of NATO
NATO was formed shortly after the North Atlantic Treaty was signed on April 4, 1949. The countries in NATO became rivals with those part of the Warsaw Pact during the Cold War. -
Soviets Create & Test Nuclear Bomb
The Soviets tested their first atomic weapon in '49. It was called RDS-1, or as it was code named by the US government: Joe 1. At least 7 more tests followed, including the test of Tsar Bomba, the most powerful explosive ever detonated. -
The Korean War
This was a conflict between North and South Korea. North Korea was communist while South Korea was not and is actually an ally of the US today. There is still much tension between the two countries now a days. -
Creation of the Warsaw Pact
This pact was a treaty between 8 communist states in Europe during the Cold War. The Soviet Union took the initiative to create this pact after NATO welcomed in West Germany. -
Vietnam War
America sent troops to Vietnam because they felt that involvement in this war was crucial in the efforts to stop the spread of communism. The Vietnam conflict lasted for almost nineteen and a half years. -
Soviet Launch Sputnik
This event marked the beginning of the race to space between the US and the USSR. It was the first artificial Earth satellite and symbolizes the rivaly between the USA and the USSR during The Cold War -
Fidel Castro comes to power in Cuba
Fidel Castro was part of a rebel revolution and overthrew former leader Fulgencio Batista to become the dictator of Cuba, which would later become a communist nation under Castro's rule. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The US attempted to invade the Bay of Pigs which resulted in the Cuban Missile Crisis. The mission was thwarted by troops under control of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. -
The Berlin Wall Goes Up
The Berlin was was setup in '61 by East Germany to separate East Germany from West Berlin. East Germany said the wall was to prevent the spread of Fascist ideas. Protesting eventually lead to the fall of the wall. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban missile crisis was a 13 day conflict starting on Oct. 16th, between the Soviets and Cuba as an alliance, and the United States. When the US invaded The Bay of Pigs, the Cuban and Soviet leaders decided that precautionary measures should be taken to assure that it doesnt happen again. The USSR began to build missiles and missile launch areas in Cuba. When an American U-2 spy plane found this footage -
US Sends Neil Armstrong to the Moon
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become first two men to step foot on the moon. This marks a major point in not only American history for the display of superiority over the Soviets during the Cold War, but also for the scientific feats that were necessary for all of this to happen. -
1980 Olympic Hockey Game
The U.S.A. hockey team played in the Olympics against the USSR. The US, who were the underdogs, defeated the Soviets and clinched the gold medal while the USSR recieved the silver. This was significant because the US was not only taking measures to be superior to the Soviets not only militarily, but in almost everything. Sports included. -
German Reunification/Fall of Berlin Wall
People came from all over Berlin with all kinds of destructive tools to help be a part of tearing down the wall. Even US president Reagan made a famous speach, in which he included his famous quote "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" -
Collapse of the Soviet Union
This was essentially the end of the Cold War. With the fall of the biggest Communist country in the world, the threat of Communism spreading was pretty much gone.
