Category Archives: Cold War

Battle of Khe Sanh begins in South Vietnam 50 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Jan 21 1968)

1960s, Cold War, Vietnam War


Video: 'The Battle of Khe Sanh - 1968 | Today in History | 21 Jan 17'

(Sunday, January 21, 1968, 5:30 a.m. Saigon Standard Time; during the Vietnam War, part of the Indochina Wars and the Cold War) — The Battle of Khe Sanh began today as the North Vietnamese Army began shelling a U.S. Marine combat base south of the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) while operating under the cover of a morning fog. Continue reading Battle of Khe Sanh begins in South Vietnam 50 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Jan 21 1968) →

Ike urges ‘sacrifice’ to ‘wage total peace’ 60 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Jan 9 1958)

1950s, Cold War, U.S. Presidents


Video: 'Eisenhower's State Of The Union Message (1958)'

(Thursday, January 9, 1958, 12:30 p.m. EST) — In his sixth State of the Union address, U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower today laid down an eight-point “safety through strength” program and called on the American people for “sacrifice and a high degree of understanding” so the country can “wage total peace.” Continue reading Ike urges ‘sacrifice’ to ‘wage total peace’ 60 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Jan 9 1958) →

LBJ visits Pope Paul VI at Vatican 50 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Dec 23 1967)

1960s, Cold War, U.S. Presidents, Vietnam War


Video: 'The President: December 1967. MP891.' (Dec. 23, 1967, at 28:58)

(Saturday, December 23, 1967, 8:50 p.m.-10:17 p.m. CET; during the Vietnam War, part of the Indochina Wars and the Cold War) — During a 4+ day, 27,000-mile round-the-world journey to promote peace ahead of the Christmas holiday, President Lyndon Johnson met with Pope Paul VI tonight in Vatican City, telling him the United States was ready to stop bombing North Vietnam if the Vietcong and North Vietnamese would offer “some guarantee” of movement toward peace talks. Continue reading LBJ visits Pope Paul VI at Vatican 50 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Dec 23 1967) →

Paul Simon joins Paul Simon on ‘Saturday Night Live’ 30 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Dec 19 1987)

1980s, Cold War, U.S. Presidents


Video: 'MONOLOGUE: PAUL SIMON AND PAUL SIMON'

(Saturday, December 19, 1987, 11:30 p.m.-1:00 a.m. EST) — In a staged booking mix-up, singer Paul Simon and Democratic presidential candidate Paul Simon, a U.S. Senator from Illinois, both showed up for the opening monologue of tonight‘s edition of NBC’s Saturday Night Live from 30 Rockefeller Center in New York City.

The episode also featured a political ad parody in which a woman (Jan Hooks) tries to let go of the man she’s been missing: Democratic presidential candidate Gary Hart.


Video: 'GARY HART: YOU CAN'T GET HIM OUT OF YOUR MIND'

U.S. successfully launches first Atlas ICBM 60 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Dec 17 1957)

1950s, Cold War


Video: 'Atlas Missile: "Project Atlas Report 4th Quarter 1957" Convair; 1st Successful Flight, 3rd Launch' (Dec. 17, 1957, at 20:45)

(Tuesday, December 17, 1957, 17:39 UTC; during the Cold War) — The United States successfully test-fired the Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time today at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Continue reading U.S. successfully launches first Atlas ICBM 60 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Dec 17 1957) →

Reagan, Gorbachev sign missile treaty 30 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Dec 8 1987)

1980s, Cold War, U.S. Presidents


Video: 'President Reagan: Signing of the INF Treaty with Premier Gorbachev, December 8, 1987'

(Tuesday, December 8, 1987, 1:45 p.m. EST; during the Washington Summit, part of the Cold War) — With fervent calls for a new era of peaceful understanding, U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty), the first treaty reducing the size of their nations’ nuclear arsenals, today at the White House. Continue reading Reagan, Gorbachev sign missile treaty 30 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Dec 8 1987) →

America’s first attempt to launch a satellite fails 60 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Dec 6 1957)

1950s, Cold War, space exploration


Video: 'Vanguard TV3 Rocket Launch Explosion'

(Friday, December 6, 1957, 16:44:34 UTC; during the Cold War) — America’s first attempt at putting a satellite into orbit around the Earth failed today as Vanguard TV3 rose about four feet off a Cape Canaveral, Florida, launch pad before crashing down and exploding. Continue reading America’s first attempt to launch a satellite fails 60 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Dec 6 1957) →

Gene McCarthy to challenge LBJ for Democratic nomination 50 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Nov 30 1967)

1960s, Cold War, U.S. Presidents, Vietnam War


Video: 'Vietnam: A Television History - Tet [6/11]' (McCarthy campaigns at 43:30)

(Thursday, November 30, 1967, morning EST; during the Vietnam War, part of the Indochina Wars and the Cold War) — In a direct challenge to the renomination of President Lyndon B. Johnson and his administration’s policies on the Vietnam War, U.S. Senator Eugene McCarthy of Minnesota announced his candidacy for the 1968 Democratic Party presidential nomination today in the Senate caucus room on Capitol Hill. Continue reading Gene McCarthy to challenge LBJ for Democratic nomination 50 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Nov 30 1967) →

Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara resigns 50 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Nov 29 1967)

1960s, Cold War, Vietnam War


Video: 'Nov. 29, 1967: Robert McNamara Resigns'

(Wednesday, November 29, 1967, evening EST; during the Vietnam War, part of the Indochina Wars and the Cold War) — In the midst of a public relations campaign by the Johnson administration to build support for the Vietnam War, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, one of the war’s primary architects, announced tonight he was resigning to become president of the World Bank, effective in early 1968. Continue reading Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara resigns 50 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Nov 29 1967) →

North Korean agents blow up South Korean airliner in mid-flight 30 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Nov 29 1987)

1980s, Cold War


Video: '1987, the North Korean Spy who blew up a plane, Korean Air Flight 858'

(Sunday, November 29, 1987, 2:05 p.m. KST) — Korean Air Flight 858, a scheduled international passenger flight between Baghdad, Iraq, and Seoul, South Korea, exploded in mid-air today upon the detonation of a bomb planted inside an overhead storage bin in the airplane’s passenger cabin by North Korean agents. Continue reading North Korean agents blow up South Korean airliner in mid-flight 30 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Nov 29 1987) →