Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    Banner
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
      • Playlists
    • Television
      • Shows by Decade
        • 1950s Television
        • 1960s Television
        • 1970s Television
        • 1980s Television
        • 1990s Television
      • Shows by Genre
        • Comedy
        • Drama
        • Kids TV
        • Variety
        • News & Sport
        • Advertisements
      • Shows by Country
        • UK TV
        • USA TV
        • Australia & NZ TV
        • Canada TV
        • Europe TV
        • Japan TV
      • Shows A to K
        • Shows A
        • Shows B
        • Shows C
        • Shows D
        • Shows E
        • Shows F
        • Shows G
        • Shows H
        • Shows I
        • Shows J
        • Shows K
      • Shows L to Z
        • Shows L
        • Shows M
        • Shows N
        • Shows O
        • Shows P
        • Shows Q
        • Shows R
        • Shows S
        • Shows T
        • Shows U
        • Shows V
        • Shows W
        • Shows X
        • Shows Y
        • Shows Z
      • Shows 0 to 9
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • 1950s Music
        • 1960s Music
        • 1970s Music
        • 1980s Music
        • 1990s Music
      • Music A to K
        • Music A
        • Music B
        • Music C
        • Music D
        • Music E
        • Music F
        • Music G
        • Music H
        • Music I
        • Music J
        • Music K
      • Music L to Z
        • Music L
        • Music M
        • Music N
        • Music O
        • Music P
        • Music Q
        • Music R
        • Music S
        • Music T
        • Music U
        • Music V
        • Music W
        • Music X
        • Music Y
        • Music Z
      • Music 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • 1950s Movies
          • Movies 1950
          • Movies 1951
          • Movies 1952
          • Movies 1953
          • Movies 1954
          • Movies 1955
          • Movies 1956
          • Movies 1957
          • Movies 1958
          • Movies 1959
        • 1960s Movies
          • Movies 1960
          • Movies 1961
          • Movies 1962
          • Movies 1963
          • Movies 1964
          • Movies 1965
          • Movies 1966
          • Movies 1967
          • Movies 1968
          • Movies 1969
        • 1970s Movies
          • Movies 1970
          • Movies 1971
          • Movies 1972
          • Movies 1973
          • Movies 1974
          • Movies 1975
          • Movies 1976
          • Movies 1977
          • Movies 1978
          • Movies 1979
        • 1980s Movies
          • Movies 1980
          • Movies 1981
          • Movies 1982
          • Movies 1983
          • Movies 1984
          • Movies 1985
          • Movies 1986
          • Movies 1987
          • Movies 1988
          • Movies 1989
        • 1990s Movies
          • Movies 1990
          • Movies 1991
          • Movies 1992
          • Movies 1993
          • Movies 1994
          • Movies 1995
          • Movies 1996
          • Movies 1997
          • Movies 1998
          • Movies 1999
      • Movies A to K
        • Movies A
        • Movies B
        • Movies C
        • Movies D
        • Movies E
        • Movies F
        • Movies G
        • Movies H
        • Movies I
        • Movies J
        • Movies K
      • Movies L to Z
        • Movies L
        • Movies M
        • Movies N
        • Movies O
        • Movies P
        • Movies Q
        • Movies R
        • Movies S
        • Movies T
        • Movies U
        • Movies V
        • Movies W
        • Movies X
        • Movies Y
        • Movies Z
      • Movies 0 to 9
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Radio
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Decades»Events
    Events 3 Mins Read

    Cuban Missile Crisis

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    In 1959 a revolution took place in Cuba and Fidel Castro came to power. He introduced a Soviet-style government on the island and he looked to the Soviet Union for support.

    In May 1960 the Soviet Premier vowed to defend Cuba against US aggression. After the Bay of Pigs ordeal, Cuban leader Fidel Castro was expecting another attempt, and the Soviets began to install long-range missile launch sites in Cuba that would have threatened much of the Eastern USA.

    On 29 August 1962, US U-2 spy planes spotted new military construction and the presence of Soviet technicians. There was also an increase in the number of Soviet ships arriving in Cuba which the United States government feared were carrying new supplies of weapons.

    Photographs of launch sites (pictured below) were delivered to President Kennedy on 16 October and after considering the alternatives, he ordered a naval blockade of Cuba and warned that US armed forces would seize offensive weapons and associated material that Soviet vessels tried to deliver to Cuba.

    cuba

    As well as imposing a naval blockade, Kennedy also told the USAF to prepare for attacks on Cuba and the Soviet Union. The army positioned 125,000 men in Florida and was told to wait for orders to invade Cuba.

    If the Soviet ships carrying weapons for Cuba did not turn back or refused to be searched, a war was likely to begin. Kennedy also promised his military advisers that if one of the U-2 spy planes were fired upon he would give orders for an attack on the Cuban SAM missile sites.

    Kennedy appeared on national American television on 22 October to inform the nation that Soviet missiles had been deployed on Cuban soil and that many US states were now within range of nuclear strike.

    On 24 October President Kennedy was informed that Soviet ships had stopped just before they reached the United States ships blockading Cuba. That evening Khrushchev sent an angry note to Kennedy accusing him of creating a crisis to help the Democratic Party win the forthcoming election.

    Khrushchev sent Kennedy another letter on 26 October proposing that the Soviet Union would be willing to remove the missiles in Cuba in exchange for a promise by the United States that they would not invade Cuba. The next day a second letter from Khrushchev arrived demanding that the United States remove their nuclear bases in Turkey.

    While the president and his advisers were analysing Khrushchev‘s two letters, news came through that a U-2 plane had been shot down over Cuba. The leaders of the military argued that Kennedy should now give orders for the bombing of Cuba. Kennedy refused and instead sent a letter to Khrushchev accepting the terms of his first letter.

    Khrushchev agreed and gave orders for the missiles to be dismantled. The world breathed a collective sigh of relief and stepped back from the nuclear brink.

    The Cuban Missile Crisis was the first and only nuclear confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union. The event appeared to frighten both sides and it marked a change in the development of the Cold War.

    Related Posts

    • John F Kennedy
      John F Kennedy
      1 9 1 7 - 1 9 6 3 Born in 1917, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was the second son of…
    • Vietnam War
      Vietnam War
      French Indochina was captured by the Japanese during WWII. After 1945 the French tried unsuccessfully to restore their rule in…
    • Civil Rights Movement
      Civil Rights Movement
      In December 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, a black woman named Rosa Parks insisted on sitting in the front of a bus. The…
    • Berlin Wall
      Berlin Wall
      In 1945, at the end of WWII, Germany was divided into a Soviet Zone in the East, and British, French…
    • Dwight D (Ike) Eisenhower
      Dwight D (Ike) Eisenhower
      Dwight David Eisenhower was born on 14 October 1890, at Denison, Texas, the third of seven sons of David Jacob…
    • Thalidomide
      Thalidomide
      Thalidomide was a pharmaceutical ingredient used in medicines in the early 1960s as a sedative, and prescribed mainly to expectant…
    • Black Power
      Black Power
      1966 was, in all respects, a crucial turning point for the black movement in America. In that year the Black Panther party was…
    • Nikita Khrushchev
      Nikita Khrushchev
      1 8 9 4 - 1 9 7 1 A coal miner's son from Kalinovka, Ukraine, Nikita Khrushchev became involved…

    Cold War
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleCongo Crisis
    Next Article Death of Diana, Princess of Wales (1997)

    Comments are closed.

    NC Radio Player
    Search the site
    Nostalgia Central has been a labour of love since 1998. The site carries no advertising, and I rely on donations to help with running costs and to keep the site running for your entertainment and education.

    If you find the site informative or enjoyable, please consider a donation – no matter how small.
    Thank you so much. Enjoy your trip in the time machine!
    You may also like

    • Nikita Khrushchev
      Nikita Khrushchev
      1 8 9 4 - 1 9 7 1 A coal miner's son from Kalinovka, Ukraine, Nikita Khrushchev became involved…
    • Bay of Pigs
      Bay of Pigs
      Fidel Castro overthrew the US-backed Batista dictatorship in January 1959 to take control of Cuba, and in 1960 he took over…
    • Fallout Shelters
      Fallout Shelters
      As the 1950s dawned, a Communist attack seemed imminent. The Russians had grabbed Berlin and in 1949 had successfully tested…
    • John F Kennedy
      John F Kennedy
      1 9 1 7 - 1 9 6 3 Born in 1917, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was the second son of…


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Copyright © 1998, 2023 Nostalgia Central. Run by volunteers. Funded by donations.
    • About Nostalgia Central
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.