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Berlin Blockade
The USSR stopped shipments of supplies into East Berlin so the USA came up with the Berlin Airlift which had planes fly into East Berlin to deliver supplies. I rank this event number 10 in importance. -
Korean War
The Korean War was a conflict between the North (communist) and the South (capitalist) of Korea. The South was backed by NATO and the North was backed by Red China and the USSR. Both sides lost many soilders and they settled the fighting at the 38th parallel. I rank this event number 2. -
The Vietnam War
The Vietnam War started when the communist North Vietnam leader Ho Chi Min decleared the North of Vietnam was an independant state and it was communist. LBJ sent troops to Vietnam to try and prevent a domino effect. The Viet-Kong troops used the jungle to their advantage using gorilla warfare to kill American troops. I think this event is number 1. -
Suez Canal Crisis
The crisis started in the Middle East when the president of Egypt nationalized the canal. The canal was controlled by a company with British and French interests. Because of this the USA and the UK decided to not finance Egypt's construction of the Aswan High Dam as they had promised. I rank this envent number 8. -
Space Race
The USSR had just put a satellite in space and the US was trying to do the same. The USSR then put a man into space. After many attemps the US put a satellite in space. They soon put two men on the Moon. I rank this event number 5. -
U-2 Incident
The U-2 incident was when a USA U-2 spy plane went into Soivet airspace and was shot down. This caused the collapse of a summit confrence in Paris between the USA, the USSR, England, and France. I rank this event number 6. -
Cuban Missle Crisis
A major confrontation that brought the US and the USSR close to war over the presence of Soviet nuclear armed missles in Cuba. Having promised in May 1960 to defend Cuba with Soviet arms, the USSR premier Khrushchev assumed the US would take no step to prevent the installation of Soviet medium range missles in Cuba. I rank this event number 3. -
Yom Kippur War
The Yom Kippur War was the fourth of the Arab-Israeli wars, which was initiated by Egypt and Syria. Soon other countries were called in like the US and the USSR. The countries launched a diplomatic aim of presuading a chastened - if still undefeated - Israel was going to negotiate for peace. I rank this event number 4. -
Soviet War in Afganistan
Afghanistan was invaded in late December, 1979 by Soviet troops. Afghanistan was in a political mess since they had just overthrown their president and were starting to adapt to communist ideologies. The communist party in Afghanistan were now funded by the USSR and were launching attacks on the failing democratic government. I rank this event number 7. -
Soviets Downing Korean Air Lines Flight 007
The Korean Air Line Flight 007, flight was a passenger jet that was shot down by Soviet air-to-air missiles on September 1, 1983, near Sakhalin Island, Russia, killing all 269 persons on board. It was en route to Seol from Anchorage, Alaska when is strayed 200 miles off track and entered Soviet airspace. The Soviets said it was a spy plane. I rank this event number 11. -
"Able Archer" Military Exercise
In November 1983, NATO conducted "Able Archer 83", a war game that realistically modeled a nuclear attack on the Soviet Union. At a moment of heighted Cold War tensions following the downing of Korean Air Lines Flight 007, this exercise raised the risk of an accidental nuclear war. I rank this event number 9.