The Cuban Missile Crisis was a 13-day confrontation between the governments of the United States and the Soviet Union, when American deployments of nuclear missiles in Italy and Turkey were matched by Soviet deployments of nuclear missiles in Cuba.
The crisis lasted from 16 to 28 October 1962. The confrontation is widely considered the closest the Cold War came to escalating into full-scale nuclear war.
In a televised speech of extraordinary gravity, President John F. Kennedy announces on October 22, 1962 that U.S. spy planes discovered Soviet missile bases in Cuba. These missile sites— under construction but nearing completion—housed medium- range missiles capable of striking a number of major cities in the United States, including Washington, D.C.
Kennedy announced that he was ordering a naval “quarantine” of Cuba to prevent Soviet ships from transporting any more offensive weapons to the island and explained that the United States would not tolerate the existence of the missile sites currently in place. The president made it clear that America would not stop short of military action to end what he called a “clandestine, reckless and provocative threat to world peace.”
In a televised speech of extraordinary gravity, President John F. Kennedy announced on October 22, 1962 that U.S. spy planes had discovered Soviet missile bases in Cuba. These missile sites—under construction but nearing completion—housed medium-range missiles capable of striking a number of major cities in the United States, including Washington, D.C.
Kennedy announced that he was ordering a naval “quarantine” of Cuba to prevent Soviet ships from transporting any more offensive weapons to the island and explained that the United States would not tolerate the existence of the missile sites currently in place. The president made it clear that America would not stop short of military action to end what he called a “clandestine, reckless and provocative threat to world peace.”
What is known as the Cuban Missile Crisis actually began on October 14, 1962—the day that U.S. intelligence personnel analyzing U-2 spy plane data discovered that the Soviets were building medium-range missile sites in Cuba.
On this day in 1962, U.S. Ambassador Adlai Stevenson presented photographic evidence to the United Nations Security Council. The photos were of Soviet missile bases in Cuba.
Soviet Ambassador Zorin.
A Kennedy administration official (upper left) shows aerial views of one of the Cuban medium-range missile bases, taken in October 1962.
The Charge of the Light Brigade took place during the Crimean War on this day in 1854. The British were winning the Battle of Balaclava when Lord James Cardigan received an order to attack the Russians and took his troops into a valley where they suffered 40 percent casualties. It was later revealed that the order was the result of confusion and was not given intentionally.
Charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaclava. The view is from the Fedokine hills across the Causeway toward Balaklava harbor in this painting by William Simpson.
On this day in 1983,U.S. troops and soldiers from six Caribbean nations invaded Grenada to restore order and provide protection to U.S. citizens after a recent coup within Grenada’s Communist (pro-Cuban) government.
U.S Special Operations Forces in Grenada.
William Payne Stewart(January 30, 1957 – October 25, 1999)
It was on this day in 1999.
Stewart, 42, was one of the world’s most recognizable golfers because of his trademark knickerbockers. The plane carrying Stewart and five others crashed near Aberdeen, South Dakota, after traveling 1,500 miles, most of it while the pilot, co-pilot and passengers were apparently unconscious or dead when the plane lost cabin pressure during its flight and ran out of fuel and crashed. The sounds of a low-pressure alarm could be heard on the recovered cockpit voice recorder.
The Learjet 35, N47BA, before its final flight on October 25, 1999.
