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Soviets create and test a hydrogen bomb (Delaney)
The Soviet Union imported materials from Arzamaz, a laboratory in Russia, to a test site in Kazakhstan. Here they began their first test of a nuclear weapon which they named the “First Lightning.” Soviets used methods for both creating the bombs, as well as testing them, that were derived from the Americans. They studied the shock of the bomb by building houses, tunnels, and bridges, and studied the effects of radiation on caged animals they kept nearby. -
Part 2 Soviets create and test a hydrogen bomb (Delaney)
After receiving success with the first bomb, the Soviets began construction of a Hydrogen bomb. In 1953, four years after the First Lightning, the Soviets researched the H-bomb by closely following the path of American scientists. This bomb received the name of a “layered cake” because it has alternating layers of fusion fuel. Its explosion was expected to be 30 times larger than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. -
Part 3 Soviets create and test a hydrogen bomb (Delaney)
...A few days before the bomb was set to be tested, scientists learned that it may cause damage to surrounding cities. However, they could not stop the detonation and the bomb was set off creating an atomic mushroom with a length of seven and a half miles. -
Part 4 Soviets create an hydrogen bomb (Delaney)
Symbolism:
The construction of the hydrogen bomb is an example of the long-lasting arms race between America and the Soviet Union. In this case, America had made the most advancements in nuclear war first, but the Soviet Union wasn’t far behind. By following the strategies used in America, the Soviet Union was not only able to mimic their nuclear weapon, but create one on a much bigger scale. -
Nikita Khrushchev visits the USA (Delaney and Becky)
In the fall of 1959, Nikita Khrushchev became the first Soviet premier to visit the United States. He always expressed his will to visit the United States by asking for an invite from President Dwight Eisenhower. Finally the invite from the White house arrived and the Soviet ambassador and the U.S undersecretary haggled over the premier itinerary for several weeks. The final schedule included visits to Washington, D.C., New York, California, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and back to Camp David. -
Part 2 Nikita Khrushchev visits the USA (Becky and Delaney)
His visits had a big impact on the media since it symbolized the will, from both nations, to come together for a peaceful future. President Eisenhower stated "We have come to you with an open heart and with good intentions. The Soviet people want to live in peace and friendship with the American people." -
Part 3 Nikita Khrushchev visits the USA (Becky and Delaney)
The symbolism of the Cold War:
The meeting of Dwight Eisenhower and Nikita Khrushchev is one of the most notable examples of detente during the Cold War. The two men were able to make agreements during their two weeks' worth of meetings, which ultimately led to the easing of their strained relations. The meeting helped erase fears within citizens of nuclear war. -
US sends a man to the moon (Becky)
In July 1969, the Apollo 11 spacecraft commanded by Neil Armstrong, with the other crew members,Michael Collins and Edwin (Buzz) Aldrin, descended the ladder of the Lunar Module and ascended the lunar surface.
It all began on May 25, 1961 when President John F. Kennedy, after calling a special session in Congress, announced his intention to send a man to the moon before the end of the decade. -
Part 2 US sends a man to the moon (Becky)
At first people thought he was completely out of his mind because it seemed impossible to complete such a difficult mission in just 8 years. When the Apollo 11 project began, NASA lacked advanced technology and enough information about space to make sure the expedition was safe for astronauts.
This impossible mission became a reality thanks to the work of over 400,000 people who developed new scientific methods and theories to create the perfect spaceship. -
Part 3 US sends man to the moon (Becky)
The name of the spaceship was given by NASA's director of development of space flight, Abe Silverstein who proposed "Apollo" for the first US manned mission to the moon after reading a book of mythology. An image of Apollo riding his chariot across the sun inspired him, because it matched the program's ambition. -
Part 4 US sends a man to the moon (Becky)
The US expedition to the moon can be interpreted as an arms race. During the Cold War the US and the Soviet Union were in continuous competition of who was the most powerful nation. The real reason why President Kennedy was so ambitious and determined to go to the moon is to "catch up to and overtake" the Soviet Union in the "space race." In fact, the US NASA had been beaten by the Soviet Union by sending the first human in space on April 12,1961 Yuri Gagarin. -
Part 5 US sends a man to the moon (Becky)
So during the Cold War time, the US had to show the world ,and especially the Soviet Union, that they were a strong nation capable of accomplishing the most difficult of the missions. By lending on the moon the US sended a clear message to the communist enemy, they were capable of doing the impossible, leaving a mark in history.