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The year of 1945 brought forth the end of one war, but there was already a new war brewing. During a conference in Potsdam, Germany the President of the U.S. - Harry Truman - informed Soviet counterpart Joseph Stalin that the U.S. was in possession of nuclear weapons. This caused tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union to rise, and these tensions were at their peak when the U.S displayed their nuclear weapons in Japan - officially ending WW2. -
Sir Winston Churchill delivered his famous "Iron Curtain" speech, in which he warned the world about the threat Stalin posed. This began a period called The Red Scare, named after the color of the USSR flag, and symbolized the spread of communism. -
The Truman Doctrine is announced to the U.S. Congress. This doctrine guaranteed that the United States would support any countries battling communism or communist elements. Some historians believe this was the official start to the Cold War. -
The West formed the North Atlantic Treaty, or NATO. NATO is a military alliance, wherein allies promise to protect and support other members of the treaty if the country gets attacked. There were originally only 11 nations on the treaty, but now there are 14. -
Communist North Korea invaded South Korea, officially starting the Korean War. Following the promise of the Truman Doctrine, U.S. forces were sent to support South Korea in the fight against communism. Communist China, who was in a friendship treaty with the Soviet Union, went to aid North Korea. This proxy war has never technically ended, as there was never a peace treaty signed. -
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, better known as NASA, is created. The original reason for the founding of NASA was due to the threat and advancements of the Soviet Union. Thus began the Space Race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, which the U.S. would win. -
Trade between the U.S. and Cuba were suspended, but this was only to be worsened when the Soviet Union sent ammunition and nuclear missiles to Cuba. When the U.S. got word of this, they placed an entire naval blockade on Cuba, and demanded the Soviet Union remove nuclear weapons from Cuba. By November 8, 1962, the Soviet Union obeyed the orders of the U.S. -
The United Kingdom, United States, and Soviet Union agree to cease nuclear testing. This was done in hopes to deescalate tensions and lessen an apparent threat of nuclear war. Sadly, the war was not nearing a closing. -
NASA did not provide enough peace of mind to government leaders fearing nuclear war was imminent. They feared that one missile alone could wipe out phone lines and cease communication, Scientists at M.I.T theorized - what if there were a galactic network of computers that could talk to each other, even if phone lines were down? On October 29,1969 the first message was sent via ARPAnet from UCLA to Stanford, reading simply "LOGIN". Thus, the creation of the internet. -
The U.S. signs the Paris Peace Accord to bring an end to its involvement in the war in Vietnam. This was another proxy war, fought during the Cold War. -
The Chernobyl Nuclear disaster occurs, making this the third major event involving nuclear power. This brought awareness of the dangers of nuclear power and raised concern about storing nuclear weapons and continuing the development of nuclear energy. -
The Berlin Wall is torn down as anti-communist movements grow in East Germany. This was monumental, as the fall of the Berlin Wall opened the door for other Eastern European countries like Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, and Romania to protest against their pro-Soviet governments. Starting the fall of the USSR. -
Although the U.S. and the USSR issued a statement saying the Cold War was over a year prior, many historians do not recognize the Cold War ending until Mikhail Gorbachev turned in his resignation and in so doing, the Soviet Union dies. The war itself may be over, but the wats of thinking of the Cold War persist even in today's time. So, did the Cold War truly end?