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Postdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference was the final meeting of Harry S. Truman, Joseph Stalin, and Winston Churchill during WWII. Their discussions were mainly about postwar Europe. -
United Nations Founded
According to its charter, the purposes of the United Nations are: to maintain international peace and security, to develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights, and to achieve cooperation in solving international problems. The UN was officially created on October 24th, 1945, after France, China, the USSR, the US, and the UK had all ratified its charter. The UN was formed in response to the events of WWII. -
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan provided the nations of Western Europe with a total of 12 billion dollars of aid. This money helped rebuild their countries and economies, as well as preventing the spread of communism. Countries who received aid were required to trade with each other and the US. -
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Berlin Airlift
In order to take control of West Berlin, Stalin blockaded the city. He thought that a blockade would make it impossible for West Berliners to obtain food and other supplies. In response to the blockade, the Allies brought the people of West Berlin the supplies they needed on cargo planes. The airlift carried over 2.3 million tons of supplies into West Berlin, and it improved America's image around the world. -
China Falls to Communism
The Chinese Civil War came to an end when Mao Zedong forced Chiang Kai-Shek out of mainland China and established the People's Republic of China. This gave the Soviet Union an important ally. -
Korean War Starts
The war in Korea began with the invasion of democratic South Korea by communist North Korea, which was supported by the People's Republic of China and the USSR. The war was a result of rising tensions between the the opposing Korean governments. The United States got involved in the war in order to stop the spread of Communism. It was the first war in which the US was involved that did not affect it directly. It was a statement of the nation's resolve to stop Communism. -
Ivy Mike
Ivy Mike was the first test of a hydrogen bomb. The explosion, which was the equivalent of 10-12 megatons of TNT, destroyed the island of Elugelab. Ivy Mike was created in response to the detonation of an atomic bomb in 1949. The detonation of the hydrogen bomb accelerated the arms race between the USSR and the US. -
Stalin Dies
Shortly before his death, Stalin had a stroke, which a doctor said was caused by high blood pressure, and well as stomach hemorrhaging. However, the stomach hemorrhaging alongside the stroke is indicative of warfarin poisoning. It is possible that he was assassinated by Lavrenity Baria, his interior minister. -
Rosenberg Excecution
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were accused of espionage by Ethel's brother, David Greenglass. Julius was allegedly the head of a spy ring that gave information about the US nuclear program to the USSR. They were the first American citizens to be executed for espionage during peacetime, and their conviction was extremely controversial. -
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Army-McCarthy Hearings
Senator Joseph McCarthy, who had become famous for his aggressive investigation of many suspected communists, attempted to investigate the US Army's security practices. The Army accused McCarthy of pressuring it to give one of his former aides special treatment. The subsequent hearings destroyed McCarthy's popularity. -
Geneva Conference
The conference was a meeting between Dwight D. Eisenhower, Anthony Eden, Nikolai Bulganin, and Edgar Faure. Its purpose was to facilitate conversation about peace and global security. -
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Hungarian Revolution
The revolt began as a student demonstration, but became widespread and violent after one of the students protesting was killed by state police. The rebels established a new government and announced its intention to leave the Warsaw Pact and have free elections. On November 4th, Soviet forces entered Hungary and eventually ended the revolution. -
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Suez Canal Crisis
Egypt, which was supported by the Soviet Union, decided to nationalize the Suez Canal, where they had previously agreed to allow British military presence. The British asked for assistance from France and Israel, who began the conflict by attacking Egypt. They were initially successful, but they withdrew after Dwight D. Eisenhower threatened them with sanctions. The crisis weakened France and Britain's influence as world powers. -
NASA Created
NASA was created in response to the launch of Sputnik I by the Soviet Union. The American government saw Sputnik I as a potential threat to national security, so it began taking steps to advance its space program and assert dominance over the Soviets. Because it was established as a civilian agency, NASA was not intended for military use. NASA's creation began the space race between the US and the USSR. -
Kitchen Debate
Before the opening of the American National Exhibition in Moscow, Richard Nixon and Nikita Khrushchev had a debate about the merits of capitalism and communism. The debate took place in front of a model kitchen at the exhibition. -
U-2 Incident
Because of the Soviet Union's rapid military advancements, Dwight D. Eisenhower thought it necessary to launch a reconnaissance mission. He successfully flew U-2 planes over the Soviet Union until one was shot down and its pilot was captured. He was then forced to admit to the use of U-2 planes, which increased tensions between the US and the Soviet Union and ruined the summit in Paris that occurred soon after. -
First Man In Space
The Vostok 1 was launched, along with Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. The flight was a single orbit around the Earth, which took 108 minutes. The Soviet Union celebrated the flight as a triumph of the communist system. -
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was built to stop the people of East Germany from leaving the country, which they were doing in large numbers. Anyone who tried to get over the wall was killed immediately. People who had families or jobs on the other side of the wall could no longer go to them. The wall became a symbol of the metaphorical Iron Curtain. -
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Cuban Missile Crisis
In response to the Bay of Pigs invasion and the installation of nuclear weapons in Turkey by the US, the Soviet Union decided to place nuclear weapons in Cuba. John F. Kennedy imposed a naval blockade on the island and threatened use of force if the weapons were not removed. This resulted in a heated standoff between the US and the Soviet Union, during which many feared a nuclear war. The Cuban Missile Crisis inspired the creation of a direct communication link between the two superpowers. -
Kennedy Assassination
Kennedy was in Texas to ease tensions in the Democratic Party. He was traveling with his wife, the governor of Texas, and his wife in a presidential motorcade when he was shot and killed. Lee Harvey Oswald, his shooter, was himself killed before he could stand trial.
