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The german army completely surrendered to the Allies on May 7, 1945. This marked the end of World War II in Europe.
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The United States had been working to develp an atomic bomb since the 1940s, but did not become the first nation to use this sort of weopon until August 6 of 1945. President Harry Truman had ordered the bomb to be dropped to act as a catalyst in ending the war with Japan. The atomic bomb immediately killed 80,000 citizens of the city Hiroshima.
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The leader of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin, gave a speech to voters regarding the tension between their nation and the western nations. He said that another war was inevitable.
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On this day, communism spread further into Europe when the president allowed the organization of a communist-dominated government to be organized. This caused more tension with the United States.
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The USSR detonated its first successful atomic bomb in Kazakhstan. This increased the fear in Americans, adding to the idea of "mutually assured desstruction".
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President Harry S. Truman gave his approval to work on developing the world's first hydrogen bomb. This bomb was predicted to be hundreds of times stronger than the atomic bomb they had dropped in Hiroshima.
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On this day, the Soviets launched the world's first artificial satellite. Beginning the Space Race, one of the most important factors of the Cold War.
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The United States launched its first successful satellitle, called the Explorer I. This helped gain back confidence for our nation, after we had been lagging behind the Soviets in the Space Race.
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President John F. Kennedy was elected, narrowly beating Richard Nixon. He promised to take a strong stance in the Cold War, and that he would the world's most powerful free nation.
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After many issues with Cuba, the nation decided to align itself with the Sovient Union. This added to the strength of our enemies during the war.
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In Dallas, Texas, President John F. Kennedy was shot twice by Lee Harvey Oswald. The assassination left Americans to feel vulnerable and scared in the middle of a decades long war.
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Until this day, the US was still behind in the Space Race between them and the Soviet Union. The US became the first nation ever to safely land a man on the moon and return him home alive.
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Richard Nixon announced his resignation as the President of the United States.
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The wall separating east and west Germany was demolished, allowing the country's citizens to move freely throughout the entire country.
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The communist governments of Czechoslovakia, Romania, and Bulgaria fall, decreasing the power of the communist party in the war.
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Many events led to the end of the Cold War, including the destruction of the Berlin Wall, the fall of communist governments in Europe, and the reunion of Germany.
