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The Cold War is generally considered to have started after World War II, with the surrender of Nazi Germany in 1945, when the uneasy alliance between the United States and the Soviet Union began to crumble due to disagreements over the future of Europe -
One of the earliest major "battles" of the Cold War was the Berlin Blockade and Airlift (1948-1949), where the Soviet Union attempted to starve West Berlin by cutting off access to the city -
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was created in 1949 by the United States, Canada, and several Western European nations to provide collective security against the Soviet Union -
Joseph Stalin, second leader of the Soviet Union, died on 5 March 1953 at his Kuntsevo Dacha after suffering a stroke, at age 74 -
The Soviet Union formed this alliance as a counterbalance to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a collective security alliance concluded between the United States, Canada and Western European nations in 1949. -
On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched the earth's first artificial satellite, Sputnik I. The successful launch came as a shock to experts and citizens in the United States, who had hoped that the United States would accomplish this scientific advancement first. -
The Cuban Revolution was the overthrow of Fulgencio Batista's regime by the 26th of July Movement and the establishment of a new Cuban government led by Fidel Castro in 1959. -
The Bay of Pigs invasion was a failed invasion of Cuba in 1961 by Cuban exiles supported by the United States. The invasion took place on April 17, 1961, and was defeated within two days. -
The U.S. discovered Soviet missiles in Cuba, leading to a tense standoff that brought the world close to nuclear war. The crisis ended when the USSR agreed to remove the missiles in exchange for the U.S. not invading Cuba and secretly removing missiles from Turkey. -
The U.S., USSR, and UK signed the Partial Test Ban Treaty, prohibiting nuclear tests in the atmosphere, outer space, and underwater. -
Alleged attacks on U.S. ships by North Vietnam led to the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, escalating U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. -
A reform movement in Czechoslovakia was crushed by Soviet-led Warsaw Pact troops. -
Major North Vietnamese and Viet Cong attacks during the Vietnam War, impacting U.S. public opinion. -
Signed by the U.S., USSR, and other countries to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. -
Marked a thaw in U.S.-China relations and influenced the Cold War balance. -
The Paris Peace Accords led to the end of direct U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. -
35 countries, including the U.S. and USSR, agreed on European borders and human rights issues. -
The USSR intervened in Afghanistan, leading to a decade-long conflict. -
President Reagan took a hardline stance against the USSR. -
The USSR officially dissolved, marking the end of the Cold War.