Cold War: Quick Facts
News •
The New Cold War: Hackers Are Targeting Internet-Connected Freezers
• Nov. 9, 2026, 4:09 PM ET (U.S. News & World Report)
'On par with what the DoD pursued during the Cold War': Pentagon’s war stockpile plan hits a minerals wall
• Nov. 8, 2026, 11:46 AM ET (Fortune)
What Trump shares with Truman after a midterm shellacking
• Nov. 7, 2026, 12:00 PM ET (CNN)
Cold War spy satellites reveal alarming acceleration in Asia’s glacier loss
• Oct. 30, 2026, 8:05 AM ET (Earth.com)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits China to inaugurate a new cross-border bridge
• Oct. 24, 2026, 10:30 AM ET (PBS)
Facts
| Date | 1947 - 1991 |
|---|---|
| Participants | North Atlantic Treaty Organization • Soviet Union • United States • Warsaw Treaty Organization |
| Context | international relations |
Did You Know?
- Space was an important arena for the Cold War and even led to the creation of NASA.
- Millions of people were killed in the proxy wars between the US and the USSR during the Cold War.
- The "hot" parts of the Cold War included the Korean War, the failed Bay of Pigs invasion into Cuba, and the Vietnam War.
Photos and Videos
Related Topics and References
Topics
Nuclear Test-Ban TreatyStrategic Arms Limitation TalksBay of Pigs invasionCuban missile crisisMarshall PlanTruman DoctrineStrategic Arms Reduction TalksdefenseWhy are North and South Korea divided?Today in History—June 26: The Berlin Airlift Takes Flight
Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic
- 20th-century international relations: The coming of the Cold War, 1945–57
- history of Europe: A climate of fear
- United States: The peak Cold War years, 1945–60
- Italy: The Cold War political order
- history of Latin America: The United States and Latin America in the Cold War era
- diplomacy: Decolonization and the beginnings of the Cold War
- guerrilla warfare: The Cold War period
- ideology: Ideology of the Cold War
- North Atlantic Treaty Organization: NATO during the Cold War
- biological weapon: Biological weapons in the Cold War
- arms control: The Cold War: Soviet and U.S.-led arms-control agreements
Timeline
Iron Curtain speech
March 5, 1946
Truman Doctrine
March 12, 1947
Marshall Plan
April 1948 - December 1951
Berlin blockade
June 24, 1948 - May 12, 1949
Warsaw Pact
May 14, 1955 - July 1, 1991
U-2 Incident
May 5, 1960 - May 17, 1960
Bay of Pigs invasion
April 17, 1961
Berlin crisis of 1961
August 1961
Cuban missile crisis
October 22, 1962 - November 20, 1962
Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty
August 5, 1963
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks
1969 - 1979
Mutual and Balanced Force Reductions
October 1973 - February 9, 1989
Korean Air Lines flight 007
September 1, 1983
Reykjavík summit of 1986
October 11, 1986 - October 12, 1986
collapse of the Soviet Union
August 18, 1991 - December 31, 1991
Key People
Ronald Reagan
president of United States
John F. Kennedy
president of United States
Harry S. Truman
president of United States
John Foster Dulles
American diplomat and lawyer
Dean Acheson
American government official
Kim Philby
British intelligence officer and Soviet spy
