http://www.history.com/photos/cuban-missile-crisis In October 1962, Cold War tensions erupted when the United States and Soviet Union faced off during the Cuban Missile Crisis, bringing the world to the brink of nuclear war. en Copyright 2013, History.com Mon, 20 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT History.com 2013-05-20T04:00:00Z en Copyright 2013, History.com http://www.history.com/photos/cuban-missile-crisis/photo1 Following the failed CIA-supported Bay of Pigs Invasion in 1961, Fidel Castro increasingly turned to the Soviet Union for military aid. By the fall of 1962, work was underway on a series of medium-range ballistic missiles capable of reaching most American cities. http://www.history.com/photos/cuban-missile-crisis/photo1 http://www.history.com/photos/cuban-missile-crisis/photo2 On October 14, 1962, American aerial photographs of Cuba revealed missile erectors, fuel tank trailers and oxidizer tank trailers. http://www.history.com/photos/cuban-missile-crisis/photo2 http://www.history.com/photos/cuban-missile-crisis/photo3 Kennedy immediately convened a group of advisors, known as ExCom, to discuss America's response to the crisis. While many advocated an immediate missile strike on the sites, others, including Secretary of Defense McNamara, urged caution, fearing an escalation that would lead to war. http://www.history.com/photos/cuban-missile-crisis/photo3 http://www.history.com/photos/cuban-missile-crisis/photo4 Following the discovery of missiles on October 14, the U.S. continued sending U-2 spy planes to gather reconnaissance. Several of these planes were shot and damaged during their missions. http://www.history.com/photos/cuban-missile-crisis/photo4 http://www.history.com/photos/cuban-missile-crisis/photo5 On October 22, President Kennedy addressed the nation, alerting them to the presence of the missiles. Across the nation, many feared the United States was on the brink of nuclear war. http://www.history.com/photos/cuban-missile-crisis/photo5 http://www.history.com/photos/cuban-missile-crisis/photo6 This newspaper map from the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis shows the distances from Cuba to various cities on the North American continent. http://www.history.com/photos/cuban-missile-crisis/photo6 http://www.history.com/photos/cuban-missile-crisis/photo7 Adlai Stevenson, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, urged the Security Council to approve a resolution calling for the dismantling and withdrawal of Soviet-supplied missile bases from Cuba under the supervision of the U.N. http://www.history.com/photos/cuban-missile-crisis/photo7 http://www.history.com/photos/cuban-missile-crisis/photo8 On October 23, 1962, at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, President Kennedy officially ordered a quarantine of Cuba. http://www.history.com/photos/cuban-missile-crisis/photo8 http://www.history.com/photos/cuban-missile-crisis/photo9 Rather than order a missile strike, President Kennedy decided on a naval blockade of Cuba, which prevented the Soviets from continuing to arm Castro's regime. http://www.history.com/photos/cuban-missile-crisis/photo9 http://www.history.com/photos/cuban-missile-crisis/photo10 The crisis was eventually diffused when Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles from Cuba in exchange for a public promise that the United States would not invade the island, as well as a private back-room deal in which America would also remove its own missiles in Turkey. http://www.history.com/photos/cuban-missile-crisis/photo10