Category Archives: Cold War

Gorbachev returns to Moscow after 1991 Soviet coup d’état attempt fails 30 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Aug 22 1991)

1990s, Cold War


Video: 'Top News Story August 22, 1991'

(Thursday, August 22, 1991, 2:15 a.m. Eastern European Summer Time; during the 1991 Soviet coup d’état attempt; part of the Revolutions of 1989 and Dissolution of the Soviet Union) — A coup by hard-line Communists collapsed yesterday as abruptly as it began, and President Mikhail S. Gorbachev returned to Moscow early this morning to reassert control of the Soviet Union. Continue reading Gorbachev returns to Moscow after 1991 Soviet coup d’état attempt fails 30 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Aug 22 1991) →

1991 Soviet coup d’état attempt begins 30 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Aug 19 1991)

1990s, Cold War


Video: 'CNN - Soviet coup (first reports)' (coverage begins Aug. 18, 1991, at 11:27 p.m. EDT)

(Monday, August 19, 1991, state of emergency declared at 5:57 a.m. Eastern European Summer Time; during the 1991 Soviet coup d’état attempt; part of the Revolutions of 1989 and Dissolution of the Soviet Union) — Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev was tentatively ousted from power today by military and K.G.B. authorities while he was on vacation in the distant Crimea. Continue reading 1991 Soviet coup d’état attempt begins 30 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Aug 19 1991) →

East German soldiers begin placing barbed wire between East and West Berlin to seal border and build massive wall 60 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Aug 13 1961)

1960s, Cold War


Video: 'The Berlin Wall goes up - August 13, 1961'

(Sunday, August 13, 1961, shortly after midnight Central European Time; during the Berlin Crisis of 1961, part of the Cold War) — Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) early this morning as East German soldiers began laying down barbed wire and bricks as a barrier between Soviet-controlled East Berlin and the democratic western section of the city. Continue reading East German soldiers begin placing barbed wire between East and West Berlin to seal border and build massive wall 60 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Aug 13 1961) →

U.S. will fight for Berlin, President Kennedy warns Russia 60 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Jul 25 1961)

1960s, Cold War, U.S. Presidents


Video: 'President John F. Kennedy Report to the Nation, Berlin Crisis, 25 July 1961'

(Tuesday, July 25, 1961, 10:00 p.m. EDT; during the Berlin Crisis of 1961, part of the Cold War) — During a nationwide address on American television and radio, U.S. President John F. Kennedy said tonight if the Soviet Union attempted to take control of West Berlin, then the United States would be prepared to go to war, even at the risk of nuclear annihilation.  Continue reading U.S. will fight for Berlin, President Kennedy warns Russia 60 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Jul 25 1961) →

President Nixon accepts invitation to visit Communist China 50 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Jul 15 1971)

1970s, Cold War, U.S. Presidents


Video: 'President Nixon Announces Trip to China'

(Thursday, July 15, 1971, 7:30 p.m. PDT) — U.S. President Richard Nixon shocked the world by announcing on live television tonight from Burbank, California, that he had accepted an invitation to become the first U.S. president to visit the People’s Republic of China, after being invited by China’s Prime Minister Zhou Enlai. Continue reading President Nixon accepts invitation to visit Communist China 50 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Jul 15 1971) →

Armistice talks aimed at ending Korean War begin at Kaesong 70 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Jul 10 1951)

1950s, Cold War, Korean War


Video: 'Korean War - PART 21, Prisoners of War [1], 6.25' (July 10, 1951, at 3:49)

(Tuesday, July 10, 1951, 11 a.m. Korean Daylight Time; during the Korean War) — Protracted armistice negotiations to end of the year-long Korean War began today at Kaesong, a North Korean city in North Hwanghae Province near the South Korean border. Continue reading Armistice talks aimed at ending Korean War begin at Kaesong 70 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Jul 10 1951) →

Supreme Court allows publication of top-secret ‘Pentagon Papers’ history of Vietnam War 50 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Jun 30 1971)

1970s, Cold War, U.S. Presidents, Vietnam War


Video: 'Freedom of the Press: New York Times v. United States'

(Wednesday, June 30, 1971, 2:30 p.m. EDT; New York Times Co. v. United States) — The U.S. Supreme Court ruled today that The New York Times and The Washington Post newspapers could publish articles based on the then-classified Pentagon Papers on the origins of the Vietnam War, rejecting government injunctions as unconstitutional prior restraint. Continue reading Supreme Court allows publication of top-secret ‘Pentagon Papers’ history of Vietnam War 50 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Jun 30 1971) →

The New York Times begins publishing Pentagon Papers, a secret history of the Vietnam War 50 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Jun 13 1971)

1970s, Cold War, Vietnam War


Video: 'The Pentagon Papers'

(Sunday June 13, 1971; during the Vietnam War, part of the Indochina Wars and the Cold War)— The New York Times today began to publish the Pentagon Papers, a U.S. Department of Defense history of the United States’ political and military involvement in Vietnam from 1945 to 1967 that demonstrated, among other things, the Johnson Administration had “systematically lied, not only to the public but also to Congress.” Continue reading The New York Times begins publishing Pentagon Papers, a secret history of the Vietnam War 50 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Jun 13 1971) →

President Kennedy addresses nation on TV, says talks with Premier Khrushchev in Vienna eased peril of a ‘misjudgment’ 60 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Jun 6 1961)

1960s, Cold War, U.S. Presidents


Video: 'June 6, 1961 - John F. Kennedy report to the American people on his trip to Europe'

(Tuesday, June 6, 1961, 7:00 p.m. EDT; during the Cold War) — U.S. President John F. Kennedy reported to the nation tonight that his talks with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev should at least have lessened chances of a “dangerous misjudgment” on either side. Continue reading President Kennedy addresses nation on TV, says talks with Premier Khrushchev in Vienna eased peril of a ‘misjudgment’ 60 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Jun 6 1961) →

‘It will be a cold winter’: Kennedy, Khrushchev exchange war threats as two-day Cold War summit ends in Vienna 60 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Jun 4 1961)

1960s, Cold War, U.S. Presidents


Video: 'CBS News: Kennedy/Khrushchev summit (1961)' (aired June 4, 1961, at 6:00 p.m. EDT)

(Sunday, June 4, 1961, 3:15 p.m. Central European Time; during the Cold War) — U.S. President John F. Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev concluded their two-day summit in Vienna, Austria, today, exchanging threats of war. Continue reading ‘It will be a cold winter’: Kennedy, Khrushchev exchange war threats as two-day Cold War summit ends in Vienna 60 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Jun 4 1961) →