Photo Galleries (2)
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Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis(10 Photos)
10 Photos
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.
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John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy(20 Photos)
20 Photos
See pictures from the life and presidency of John F. Kennedy.
Videos (7)
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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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Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis
Kennedy and the Cuban Missile CrisisVideo Clip (2:38)
Video Clip (2:38)
President Kennedy avoided nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis and gained the trust of the nation.
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Russia Withdraws Cuban Missiles
Russia Withdraws Cuban MissilesVideo Clip (0:56)
Video Clip (0:56)
Footage from sea of the conclusion of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
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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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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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Deconstructing History: Berlin Wall
Deconstructing History: Berlin WallVideo 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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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.
Speeches & Audio (9)
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Kennedy Diary Recording of Cuban Missile Crisis
Kennedy Diary Recording of Cuban Missile CrisisAudio Clip (3:19)
Audio Clip (3:19)
On October 18, 1962, President Kennedy met with nine of his advisers to discuss what to do about the Soviet missiles that U.S. aerial surveillance discovered in Cuba on October 16. After the meeting, President Kennedy went to the White House Oval Office and recorded his recollections of the meeting.
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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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LeMay and Kennedy Argue Over Cuban Missile Crisis
LeMay and Kennedy Argue Over Cuban Missile CrisisAudio Clip (1:42)
Audio Clip (1:42)
In a secretly recorded meeting on October 19, 1962, President John F. Kennedy discusses the Cuban missile crisis with his military advisors. After criticizing Kennedy’s call to blockade the island as too weak a response, Gen. Curtis LeMay, Air Force chief of staff, tells the president that his refusal to invade Cuba would encourage the Soviets to move on Berlin.
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Russia Withdraws Cuban Missiles
Russia Withdraws Cuban MissilesAudio Clip (0:56)
Audio Clip (0:56)
Footage from sea of the conclusion of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
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Castro Assumes Power in Cuba
Castro Assumes Power in CubaAudio Clip (0:35)
Audio Clip (0:35)
An August 3, 1959, broadcast from Havana, Cuba, covers the celebration following the overthrow of the Batista regime and the installation of its new leader, Fidel Castro.
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Failed Bay of Pigs Invasion Revealed
Failed Bay of Pigs Invasion RevealedAudio Clip (1:10)
Audio Clip (1:10)
In April 1961, at an emergency meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, Cuban Ambassador Carlos Lechuga delivers a stinging denunciation of the U.S. government, which initially denied involvement in the Bay of Pigs invasion.
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British Prime Minister Douglas-Home Defends Trade with Cuba
British Prime Minister Douglas-Home Defends Trade with CubaAudio Clip (1:34)
Audio Clip (1:34)
In Washington, D.C., on a state visit in February 1964, Prime Minister Sir Alec Douglas-Home defends Britain's limited trade with Fidel Castro's Cuba.
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Carter Pledges to Admit Cuban Refugees
Carter Pledges to Admit Cuban RefugeesAudio Clip (0:26)
Audio Clip (0:26)
In April 1980, for the first time in seven years, Cuban leader Fidel Castro authorized emigration out of Cuba by the country's citizens. In an address to the nation, President Carter emphasizes America's open-arms policy to political refugees.
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Reagan Announces "Star Wars"
Reagan Announces "Star Wars"Audio Clip (1:39)
Audio Clip (1:39)
On March 23, 1983, in what later became known as his "Star Wars" speech, President Ronald Reagan announces his plans to develop an anti-missile capability to counter the threat of Soviet ballistic missiles and to make these nuclear weapons "impotent and obsolete."
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Read More about Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban missile crisis between the United States and the Soviet Union brought the world to the brink of nuclear war in October 1962.
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