Today in History—October 12: Nikita Khrushchev’s Shoe Speech

On this day in 1960, one of the most shocking and iconic Cold War moments unfolded when Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev brandished and banged his shoe at the United Nations.

Or did he?

There is a famous photo of Khrushchev standing at the central podium of the UN headquarters, wielding a shoe in his right hand. There’s just one problem: The photo is a fake. The original, taken by an AP photographer, shows Khrushchev delivering an impassioned speech while holding up his clenched fist. Sometime later, this was doctored to include a blurry shoe in his hand (keep in mind this was back when Photoshop was an actual photo shop).

Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.

SIGN UP

By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

OK, so he didn’t bang his shoe then?

Actually, he probably did. We just don’t have any photos of it.

The whole incident began when the delegate from the Philippines, Lorenzo Sumulong, gave a speech accusing the Soviet Union of hypocrisy for decrying Western colonialism while it “swallowed up” Eastern European nations.

Khrushchev was not happy. He stormed up to the podium and gave an emphatic retort, calling Sumulong a “toady of American imperialism.” He then went back to his seat and began furiously pounding his desk with his fists so hard that he actually broke his wristwatch. It was at this point that he allegedly picked up his shoe and began banging it loudly on his desk.

In an attempt to restore order, UN General Assembly President Frederick Boland banged his gavel (which was nicknamed “Thor’s Gavel”) so hard that it broke. The rest of the Soviet delegation stamped their feet, and even Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko removed and timidly tapped his shoe in solidarity.

For his part, Khrushchev readily admitted to such behavior in his memoirs, likening his noisy antics to those of revolutionary protesters in the Duma, an imperial Russian legislative body.

Complicating the story, however, is that several reporters insist that although Khrushchev did menacingly brandish a shoe, he never actually smacked it on his desk.

With no photographic evidence and conflicting witness reports, it’s impossible to say for certain whether or not the shoe-banging incident actually happened. It’s certainly plausible, and given Khrushchev’s fiery personality, it does seem like something he would have done.

Hey, if the shoe fits.