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H-Bombs of the US and USSR
These events are a perfect example of the arms race that is the idea of the Cold War - making bigger and bigger weapons to threaten without ever actually attacking one another.
(US H-Bomb)
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Hydrogen Bomb
During the race against the Soviet Union to invent better bombs, the US invented the first hydrogen bomb. So, on November 1, 1952, the United States successfully detonated “Mike,” the world’s first hydrogen bomb. It was detonated on the Eniwetok Atoll in the Pacific Marshall Islands. The bomb instantly vaporized an entire island and left behind a crater more than a mile wide. This bomb gave the US a three-year leeway against the Soviet Union. -
Soviet Hydrogen Bomb
Through a spy in the American nuclear program, the Soviets learned of the hypothesized hydrogen bomb and got to work. Then, on November 22, 1955, the Soviet Union tested its first true hydrogen bomb at the Semipalatinsk test site. Finally, through a series of Soviet hydrogen bomb tests, it all culminated on October 23, 1961, with an explosion of about 58 megatons with the Soviets boasting that it could’ve been larger.
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U-2 Spy Plane Controversy Pt. 2
This shows how high the tension was between the US and the USSR, and how paranoid the governments were becoming. This is a good example of how neither side will believe the other over a small incident.
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U-2 Spy Plane Controversy
The Supreme Soviet of the USSR was told that a US spy plane had been shot down in Sverdlovsk. The pilot testified that he had taken off to fly across the Soviet Union while collecting data. The US said that there had been no flight as described. The Soviet Union didn’t believe this and declared that they couldn’t partake in the summit unless the US stopped flights over Soviet territory and apologized. Despite the US promising to suspend all such flights, this didn’t satisfy the Soviet Union. -
Berlin Wall Pt. 2
This is a good example of how a lot f the Cold War was territory wars and Communism vs Democracy. The wall being used to stop the spread of fascism being a mere cover for its true intention also shows how the people knew what the war was but also didn't realize it was a war at the same time. -
Berlin Wall
In a mere two weeks, the socialist government occupying Berlin built a wall separating West Berlin and East Germany. This wall has come to be known as the Berlin Wall. The Berlin Wall was officially built to keep Western “fascists” from entering East Germany and undermining the socialist state. However, its true intention was to keep people divided so they would have a harder time going against the new government. -
Man on the Moon Pt. 2
This is another good example of the countries' race against each other in technological advances. This didn't stop at the arms race, and nor was it stemmed by the growing tension or paranoia.
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U.S. Sent the First Man to the Moon
On July 16, 1969, Apollo 11 took off for the Moon with Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, and Michael Collins. Four days later, Armstrong and Aldrin landed in the Lunar Module the Eagle. Neil Armstrong became the first human to step on the moon at 10:56 pm with the famous quote "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." He and Aldrin walked around for three hours, picking up rocks and doing experiments. They left a US flag and sign on the Moon.
