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United Nations Formed
As WWII was about the end, representatives of 50 countries gathered in San Francisco, California to agree upon an international treaty to, "enshrine the equal rights of all people and maintain peace." -
Truman Doctrine
President Harry S. Truman reads this speech and asks Congress for $400 million in military and economic assistance for Turkey and Greece. -
Hollywood 10
10 members of the Hollywood film industry who allegedly used communist influence in the American motion picture business. These 10 received jail sentences and were banned from working for major Hollywood studios. -
Marshall Plan
A US-sponsored program designed to help the economies of 17 western and southern European countries after WWII, to create stable conditions for democratic institutions. President Truman signed the Marshall Plan into law on April 3, 1948. The Marshall Plan gets its name from US Secretary of State George C. Marshall, as he advanced the idea of helping Europe with a United States financial program. -
NATO Founded
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was founded by the USA, Canada, and many nations of Western Europe. It was created to provide security against the Soviet Union. -
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Korean War
North Korea wanted to conquer South Korea and continue as one Korea under communism. The US got involved in the war on June 27, 1950, in support of South Korea. -
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The Space Race and Sputnik
On October 4, 1957, a Soviet R-7 missile launched Sputnik, the world's first artificial satellite and the first man-made object to be placed into Earth's orbit. This launch came as a surprise to most Americans. In 1958, NASA is created as a federal agency for space exploration. By the end of 1962 NASA's lunar landing program -Project Apollo- was in place. On July 16, 1969, the Apollo 11 space mission set off for the first lunar landing attempt. On July 20, the US set foot on the moon. -
Bay of Pigs
The Bay of Pigs Invasion was a failed attack launched by the CIA during the Kennedy administration to rid Cuban leader Fidel Castro from power. The invaders were outnumbered by Castro's troops, and surrendered after less than 24 hours of fighting. -
Berlin Wall Goes Up
The Berlin Wall went up in August of 1961, cutting through the city center in Germany and surrounding West Berlin. The wall was designed to prevent people from escaping to the West, from the Soviet-controlled East Berlin. -
US Officially Enters Vietnam War
The US joins the Vietnam War to prevent communism from spreading throughout Southeast Asia. In August of 1964, after DVR torpedo boats attacked two US destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin, President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered the bombing of military targets in North Vietnam, though they did not officially enter the war until March of 1965 when Johnson sent US combat forces into battle in Vietnam. -
Soviets Invade Afghanistan
The Soviets wanted to help Afghanistan's communist government with their battle against anticommunist Muslim guerrillas. -
Fall Of The Berlin Wall
Due to anti-government protests in East Germany and other European states turning to democracy, the border between West and East Germany was opened as sections of the Berlin Wall were torn down and the city of Berlin was reunified.