Cold War Arms Race (2:23)
On March 21, 1960, U.S. Vice Admiral Hyman Rickover discusses the importance of keeping abreast of Soviet technological developments.
Speeches & Audio (14)
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Cold War Arms Race
Cold War Arms RaceAudio Clip (2:23)
Audio Clip (2:23)
On March 21, 1960, U.S. Vice Admiral Hyman Rickover discusses the importance of keeping abreast of Soviet technological developments.
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Yuri Gagarin Is First Man in Space
Yuri Gagarin Is First Man in SpaceAudio Clip (1:06)
Audio Clip (1:06)
On April 12, 1961, aboard the spacecraft Vostok 1, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to travel into space. A melodramatic telling details Gagarin's historic flight.
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Francis Gary Powers on Release From Soviets
Francis Gary Powers on Release From SovietsAudio Clip (1:18)
Audio Clip (1:18)
After his return to the United States, American U-2 spy plane pilot Francis Gary Powers is questioned by the media about his capture and subsequent hearing before the Senate Armed Services Select Committee on March 6, 1962. Powers had been shot down over central Russia on May 1, 1960, and arrested by Soviet authorities. Two years later, he was released by the Soviets in a spy exchange with the United States.
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Nixon Announces Vietnam Peace Agreement
Nixon Announces Vietnam Peace AgreementAudio Clip (3:39)
Audio Clip (3:39)
On January 23, 1973, President Richard Nixon announces that Henry Kissinger and North Vietnam's chief negotiator, Le Duc Tho, signed an agreement to end U.S. military involvement in Vietnam. The official cease-fire, along with the release of all American prisoners of war, is to go into effect on January 28, though troops would remain in Vietnam until the fall of Saigon in 1975.
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Soviets Launch Sputnik
Soviets Launch SputnikAudio Clip (0:18)
Audio Clip (0:18)
A news report announces the Soviet Union's successful launch on October 4, 1957, of the world's first satellite, marking the start of the space race between the U.S. and the USSR.
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Bush and Gorbachev Declare End of Cold War
Bush and Gorbachev Declare End of Cold WarAudio Clip (1:45)
Audio Clip (1:45)
President George H. W. Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev declared an end to the Cold War at the Malta Summit on December 3, 1989. At a joint press conference aboard the Soviet passenger liner Maxim Gorky in Marsaxlokk Harbor, President Bush speaks about his hopes for a cooperative U.S.-Soviet relationship.
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Kennedy on the Buildup of Arms in Cuba
Kennedy on the Buildup of Arms in CubaAudio Clip (7:35)
Audio Clip (7:35)
On October 22, 1962, in a national statement, President John F. Kennedy discloses that U.S. spy planes discovered the placement of Soviet offensive missiles in Cuba.
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Communists Build the Berlin Wall
Communists Build the Berlin WallAudio Clip (0:46)
Audio Clip (0:46)
On August 13, 1961, troops in East Germany sealed the border between East and West Berlin with barbed wire fences that were soon replaced with concrete blocks. As East Germans awake to the new reality, local news coverage paints a grim picture of life for those trapped behind the barricade.
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Fall of the Berlin Wall
Fall of the Berlin WallAudio Clip (1:11)
Audio Clip (1:11)
On the evening of November 9, 1989, East Germany announced an easing of travel restrictions to the west, and thousands demanded passage through the Berlin Wall. Faced with a growing demonstration, East German border guards allowed citizens to cross. CBS News is on the scene as scores of East Germans climb on top of the once-imprisoning wall.
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Reagan on Historic Visit to Berlin Wall
Reagan on Historic Visit to Berlin WallAudio Clip (1:57)
Audio Clip (1:57)
In June of 1987, President Ronald Reagan stopped in West Berlin on the 750th anniversary of the city and delivered one of his most famous lines when he demanded that Mikhail Gorbachev tear down the Berlin Wall. In an address to the nation following his return from that trip, President Reagan recalls standing next to the imposing structure.
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Kennedy Speaks Before Meeting Khrushchev
Kennedy Speaks Before Meeting KhrushchevAudio Clip (1:08)
Audio Clip (1:08)
At a May 31, 1961, Paris press conference, President John F. Kennedy describes his principal aim for meeting with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev at the Geneva summit, the first between the two superpowers since 1960.
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Eisenhower on the Suez Canal Crisis
Eisenhower on the Suez Canal CrisisAudio Clip (4:05)
Audio Clip (4:05)
In October 1956, Britain and France entered into a coalition with Israel, and the three nations launched a military attack against Egyptian forces in the Suez Canal. On October 31, in a speech to the nation, President Eisenhower expresses the United States' opposition to the military action.
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Eisenhower Returns From Cancelled Summit Meeting
Eisenhower Returns From Cancelled Summit MeetingAudio Clip (4:19)
Audio Clip (4:19)
On May 1, 1960, an American U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft was shot down over central Russia. As a result, the Paris Summit Conference, scheduled 13 days later, collapsed. Upon his return from the failed conference on May 20, President Eisenhower addresses the welcoming crowd at Andrews Air Force Base.
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Reagan Supports Poland's Solidarity Movement
Reagan Supports Poland's Solidarity MovementAudio Clip (2:42)
Audio Clip (2:42)
In late 1981, in an address to the nation, President Ronald Reagan condemned the recent communist crackdown on the Solidarity Movement in Poland.
Videos (27)
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Cold War
Cold WarVideo Clip (2:31)
Video Clip (2:31)
The Cold War is over, but what it left behind may surprise you.
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Berlin Wall: Deconstructed
Berlin Wall: DeconstructedVideo Clip (2:27)
Video Clip (2:27)
For 30 years, the Berlin Wall was the defining symbol of the Cold War, separating families and keeping the people from jobs and opportunity in the west.
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Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Missile CrisisVideo Clip (2:22)
Video Clip (2:22)
Get the story of the dramatic face-off that nearly ended in nuclear war, as told by musician and artist Jeffrey Lewis.
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Manhattan Project
Manhattan ProjectVideo Clip (3:09)
Video Clip (3:09)
Explore the top-secret American project to build the world's first atomic bomb.
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JFK: A New Generation
JFK: A New GenerationVideo Clip (3:57)
Video Clip (3:57)
John F. Kennedy's progressive agenda during the 1960s inspired a new generation of optimism in America.
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The Space Race
The Space RaceVideo Clip (2:58)
Video Clip (2:58)
The U.S. competition with the U.S.S.R. for technological dominance spurred the U.S. on to the first-ever landing on the Moon.
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The Great Communicator
The Great CommunicatorVideo Clip (4:18)
Video Clip (4:18)
Ronald Reagan galvanized the American public through his famous speeches that helped redefine American politics in the 1980s.
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Vietnam
VietnamVideo Clip (1:42)
Video Clip (1:42)
Whether they volunteered or were drafted, 1 out of 10 soldiers did not survive Vietnam.
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Ask Steve: The Space Program
Ask Steve: The Space ProgramVideo Clip (1:34)
Video Clip (1:34)
In this video clip from Ask Steve, the reason for Americans interest in the Space Program was explored. It is explained that competition, and the technological wonder of the space race were some of the reasons for the Americans interest.
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The Road to War
The Road to WarVideo Clip (2:40)
Video Clip (2:40)
Over 25 years, the Vietnam conflict escalated from an attempt to stop the spread of communism into a full-scale war.
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The Satellite: Invention of War
The Satellite: Invention of WarVideo Clip (2:10)
Video Clip (2:10)
During the Cold War, the U.S. and the Soviet Union were in a military race on all fronts. However, it was the Russians who launched the first satellite, Sputnik.
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Gerald Ford: Cold War vs. War on Terror
Gerald Ford: Cold War vs. War on TerrorVideo Clip (2:25)
Video Clip (2:25)
Watch this interview clip of former U.S. President, Gerald Ford, about his views on war and President Bush. He claims President Bush has many more difficult decisions to make than he did while he was in office.
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Joseph Stalin
Joseph StalinVideo Clip (2:20)
Video Clip (2:20)
For nearly 30 years, the Soviet Union is controlled by this ruthless tyrant, who sends millions to their death.
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Soviet Submarine Bases
Soviet Submarine BasesVideo Clip (2:08)
Video Clip (2:08)
Don Wildman explores a former submarine maintainence and weapons factory utilized during the Cold War.
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Space: JFK's New Frontier
Space: JFK's New FrontierVideo Clip (3:55)
Video Clip (3:55)
On February 20, 1962, Colonel John Glenn became the first human to orbit the earth, launching the manned space program.
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Space Race: Cold War Front
Space Race: Cold War FrontVideo Clip (4:21)
Video Clip (4:21)
A brief look at the Space Race, set to "Magic Carpet Ride" by Steppenwolf.
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Cities of the Underworld 3: Stalin's Communications Bunker
Cities of the Underworld 3: Stalin's Communications BunkerVideo Clip (2:20)
Video Clip (2:20)
Don Wildman shows us a top secret military bunker built under Stalin's orders in 1952.
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JFK Sets Goal for Man on Moon
JFK Sets Goal for Man on MoonVideo Clip (1:56)
Video Clip (1:56)
John F. Kennedy's sets the goal of the United States to land a man on the moon and return him safely to Earth.
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How Russia Challenged the U.S. in the Space Race
How Russia Challenged the U.S. in the Space RaceVideo Clip (2:45)
Video Clip (2:45)
In this Tech Effect video, brought to you by the History Channel, Buzz Aldrin talks about how competition with the Soviets in the 1960s spurred the American development of the Saturn V rocket and created excitement around the space program.
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Nixon: Communism within the U.S.
Nixon: Communism within the U.S.Video Clip (1:38)
Video Clip (1:38)
The Cold War was a serious issue that engulfed the United States. Coupled with this war was the fear of communism in the United States. This fear became a central issue between Kennedy and Nixon. Hear their debate in this History Channel video.
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Kennedy: Communism within the U.S.
Kennedy: Communism within the U.S.Video Clip (0:50)
Video Clip (0:50)
Senator John F. Kennedy talks about the internal threat that communism poses to national security. Kennedy describes that these internal factions are serious and should be taken care of by supporting laws that the U.S. has already passed.
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Lyndon Johnson: Consumed by Vietnam
Lyndon Johnson: Consumed by VietnamVideo Clip (4:09)
Video Clip (4:09)
Did the Vietnam War consume the presidency of Lyndon Johnson and ultimately break him? Find out more from noted journalists Carl Bernstein, Mike Wallace and other experts.
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Jesse Jackson on the Cold War
Jesse Jackson on the Cold WarVideo Clip (2:42)
Video Clip (2:42)
"I remember that day, I was so full of fear about the ultimate showdown because we were being taught the implications of such a war between the U.S. and the Soviets, 90 miles from Miami, Florida..." From an interview with Jesse Jackson (March 6, 1991)
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Kennedy Responds to Berlin Wall
Kennedy Responds to Berlin WallVideo Clip (3:05)
Video Clip (3:05)
President Kennedy's diplomatic resolve was tested as tension mounted at the Berlin wall.
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Reagan Meets Gorbachev
Reagan Meets GorbachevVideo Clip (4:46)
Video Clip (4:46)
See President Ronald Reagan meet Mikail Gorbachev, set to "Cult of Personality" by Living Colour.
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Jesse Jackson on the Space Race
Jesse Jackson on the Space RaceVideo Clip (1:23)
Video Clip (1:23)
"...A lot of students who did not have a career that they, determined to pursue; that was the way to get a scholarship. Either be a scientist or a ballplayer. And so, I believe even to this day, that the defense to the threats, internal and external threats, happens to be an enlightened mind."
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History Rewind: Chimp In Space
History Rewind: Chimp In SpaceVideo Clip (1:53)
Video Clip (1:53)
Rewind Breaking News The History Channel: This is the story of Ham, the first hominid to be launched into space. Ham the chimp is launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida in a Project Mercury Redstone rocket.
Photo Galleries (1)
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Cold War: American Leaders
Cold War: American Leaders(13 Photos)
13 Photos
From 1945 until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, U.S. presidents and politicians developed strategies to limit the spread of communism.
Interactives (1)
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Vietnam Veterans Memorial: Infographic
Vietnam Veterans Memorial: InfographicInteractive
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The rivalry between the United States and the USSR, known as the Cold War, began after World War II and ended with the fall of the Soviet Union.
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