1. The Space Race Soviets exploded atomic bomb in 1949
US entered into race for Hydrogen Bomb
US explodes H-Bomb in 1952
Soviets exploded H-Bomb 1953
October S.U. launches Sputknik
1st artificial satellite
U.S. achieves this in 1958

2. Race to the Moon
April 12, Soviet Yuri Gagarin is the first human in space
U.S. does this less than a month later
U.S. Space Program takes off
NASA- National Aeronautics & Space Administration
Expansion of science, technology and consumer goods
July 20,1969- U.S. Astronaut Neil Armstrong lands on the moon

3. U-2 Incident CIA made secret flights over USSR (U-2)
Eisenhower and Krushchev plan to hold another summit on 5/15/1960
Dulles convinces Eisenhower to authorize one last flight.
Soviets shoot down the plane (5/1/1960)
Flown by Francis Gary Powers- sentenced to 10 years
18 months later traded for Soviet spy
Renewed Confrontation
Eisenhower at first denies the spying and then admits incident
Krushchev demands apology
Eisenhower says NO! – leads to more tension

4. The Stormy Sixties

5. John F. Kennedy Jan Nov. 1963
Elected in 1960; Democrat from Mass.; 35th president
First Catholic president
VP: Lyndon B. Johnson
Opponent: Nixon
Won by a narrow margin (119,000 votes)
“New Frontier”
Theme during election
U.S. needs to be challenged economically and educationally
Worked against inflation
Created the Peace Corps (volunteers to help developing nations
Promoted space travel
Married to Jackie Kennedy
His administration was referred to as “Camelot”
(a very romantic time)

8. Cuba Bay of Pigs (April 17, 1961)
March of 1960 Pres. Eisenhower authorized the CIA to secretly train Cuban exiles for an invasion of Cuba
Hoping to start a revolution and overthrow Fidel Castro
Castro = Communist and a friend of the Soviets
Kennedy inherited Eisenhower’s plan and approved it to move forward
Huge failure and embarrassment to Kennedy and the U.S.
Soviet aid increased in Cuba after this event

9. Berlin Wall Crisis What? August 1961 construction begins
Cuts off West Berlin with the western world
Authorized by Nikita Khrushchev (Soviet Leader) to stop the flow of refugees from East to West Berlin
Why? Stop flow of refugees from East to West Berlin
 JFK refused to give up U.S. access to West Berlin
This ends the immediate crisis, however, it becomes a haunting symbol of Communist oppression

11. Cuban Missile Crisis Nikita Khrushchev (S.U.) promised to defend Cuba
1962- increase of weapons from S.U. to Cuba (nuclear)
Kennedy- U.S. will not tolerate nuclear weapons in Cuba
Missiles close enough to reach United States
People feared nuclear war
Air raid drills, bomb shelters prepared
Brinkmanship-Willingness of U.S. to go to the edge of war.
Khrushchev agreed to remove missiles if U.S. didn’t invade Cuba. Crisis over
After a Crisis/confrontation at Sea

12. The Assassination of JFK
November 22, 1963
Dallas, Texas
JFK went there to improve his political standing in that state to prepare for the 1964 election
While riding in an open car motorcade, Kennedy was shot
Lee Harvey Oswald—assassin
Former Marine and one time Soviet Union resident
Eventually shot and killed by Jack Ruby on national television
JFK was shot in the head and died within seconds
Lyndon Banes Johnson would take over the presidency