Category Archives: Cold War

Millions participate in Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam 50 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Oct 15 1969)


Video: 'Bethel College, Oct. 15, 1969, Vietnam Moratorium Day'

(Wednesday, October 15, 1969; during the Vietnam War, part of the Indochina Wars and the Cold War) — The Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam, a massive demonstration and teach-in across across the United States against U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, took place today with millions participating throughout the world Continue reading Millions participate in Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam 50 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Oct 15 1969)

Weatherman’s ‘Days of Rage’ anti-Vietnam War protests begin in Chicago 50 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Oct 8 1969)


Video: 'Days of Rage 1969'

(Wednesday, October 8, 1969, 10:25 p.m. CDT; during the Vietnam War, part of the Indochina Wars and the Cold War) — Seeking to “bring the [Vietnam] war home,” the first public protests by the radical Weather Underground faction of the counterculture-era group Students for a Democratic Society began tonight with the “Days of Rage” in Chicago. Continue reading Weatherman’s ‘Days of Rage’ anti-Vietnam War protests begin in Chicago 50 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Oct 8 1969)

Mao Zedong proclaims communist People’s Republic of China 70 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Oct 1 1949)


Video: '1st October 1949: Mao Zedong declares the establishment of the People's Republic of China'

(Saturday, October 1, 1949, 3:00 p.m. China Standard Time) — Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of the People’s Republic of China, , a single-party state controlled by the Communist Party of China, during a ceremony today in Beijing. Continue reading Mao Zedong proclaims communist People’s Republic of China 70 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Oct 1 1949)

Khrushchev becomes first Soviet leader to visit United States 60 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Sep 15 1959)


Video: 'Khrushchev Arrives in America - A Clip from "Cold War Roadshow"'

(Tuesday, September 15, 1959, 11:30 a.m. EDT; during the Cold War) — Nikita Khrushchev became the first Soviet leader to visit the United States today as he was welcomed by President Dwight Eisenhower at Andrews Air Force Base at the beginning of an 11-day visit. Continue reading Khrushchev becomes first Soviet leader to visit United States 60 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Sep 15 1959)

Soviet probe becomes first man-made object to land on the Moon 60 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Sep 14 1959)


Video: '1959: Luna 2 (USSR)'

(Monday, September 14, 1959, 2:24 a.m. Moscow Standard Time) — The first human-made object to make contact with another celestial body landed on the Moon today as the Soviet satellite Lunik 2 crashed near the Sea of Tranquility. Continue reading Soviet probe becomes first man-made object to land on the Moon 60 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Sep 14 1959)

North Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh, 79, dies of heart attack 50 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Sep 2 1969)


Video: 'Death of Ho Chi Minh'

(Tuesday, September 2, 1969, 9:45 a.m. local time; during the Vietnam War, part of the Indochina Wars and the Cold War) — North Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh, who led the Viet Minh independence movement from 1941 onward, establishing the Communist-ruled Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945 and defeating the French Union in 1954 at the battle of Dien Bien Phu, died this morning in Hanoi of a heart attack at the age of 79. Continue reading North Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh, 79, dies of heart attack 50 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Sep 2 1969)

Soviets test first nuclear bomb, ending American nuclear monopoly 70 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Aug 29 1949)


Video: 'First Soviet atomic blast (1949)'

(Monday, August 29, 1949, 7:00 a.m. local time; during the Cold War) — The Soviet Union conducted its first nuclear weapons test today, exploding the RDS-1 at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in the northeast of the Kazakh SSR, ending the absolute U.S. monopoly on nuclear weapons. Continue reading Soviets test first nuclear bomb, ending American nuclear monopoly 70 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Aug 29 1949)

Nixon arrives in Saigon to visit Thieu, U.S. troops 50 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Jul 30 1969)


Video: 'President Nixon in Vietnam 1969'

(Wednesday, July 30, 1969, 12:00 noon Saigon Standard Time; during the Vietnam War, part of the Indochina Wars and the Cold War) — U.S. President Richard Nixon arrived at Tan Son Nhut Air Base near Saigon today for a previously unannounced 5½-hour stopover in the war-torn nation. Continue reading Nixon arrives in Saigon to visit Thieu, U.S. troops 50 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Jul 30 1969)

Nixon and Khrushchev hold Kitchen Debate in Moscow 60 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Jul 24 1959)


Video: 'The Kitchen Debate (Nixon and Khrushchev, 1959) Part I of II'

(Friday, July 24, 1959; during the Cold War) — U.S. Vice President Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev held a series of impromptu exchanges, dubbed the Kitchen Debate, today at Moscow’s Sokolniki Park, where the American National Exhibition was being held. Continue reading Nixon and Khrushchev hold Kitchen Debate in Moscow 60 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Jul 24 1959)

‘Give Peace a Chance’/’Remember Love’ by Plastic Ono Band released 50 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Jul 4 1969)


Video: 'Give Peace A Chance - Plastic Ono Band'

(Friday, July 4, 1969) — The single “Give Peace a Chance”/”Remember Love” by Plastic Ono Band, a rock band formed by John Lennon of The Beatles and his wife, Yoko Ono, as a vehicle for their collaborative and solo projects, was released today in the UK (July 7, 1969, in the U.S.). Continue reading ‘Give Peace a Chance’/’Remember Love’ by Plastic Ono Band released 50 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Jul 4 1969)