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Four Decades that changed the World

January 22, 2010- June 13, 2010
World War II was the most devastating conflict in history with much of Europe and Asia left in ruins at war's end. Yet, there was no peace. The superpowers of the United States and Soviet Union and their ideologies of democracy versus tyranny competed for prominence on the world stage in a cold war. For over 40 years these nuclear superpowers maintained a standoff and avoided a hot war that could have potentially destroyed the planet.

Khrushchev and Kennedy Shaking Hands, 06/03/1961 - 06/04/1961 Cape Canaveral, Florida...The actual firing of the THOR-ABLE STAR ROCKET that projected the TRANSIT IV-A satellite into space. Attached to the satellite is a SNAP nuclear generator which will provide continuous electrical power for satellite radio transmitters. The SNAP generator was developed for the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission by The Martin Company, Baltimore, Maryland, 1961 "Col. Paul W. Tibbets, Jr., pilot of the ENOLA GAY, the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, waves from his cockpit before the takeoff, 6 August 1945.", 08/06/1945 Atomic Cloud Rises Over Nagasaki, Japan , 08/09/1945 - 08/09/1945 Men of the 1st Marine Division capture Chinese Communists during fighting on the central Korean front. Hoengsong, March 2, 1951., 1927 - 1981 How to build a fallout shelter - Attractive interior of basement family fallout shelter includes a 14-day shelter food supply which may be stored indefinitely, a battery-operated radio, auxiliary light sources, a two-week supply of water, and first aid, sanitary and other miscellaneous supplies and equipment, ca. 1957 Man in Space Suit

Introduction | In the Begining | Cold Warriors | Proxy Wars | Secret Front Lines | The Race for Space | America's Cold War Culture| After the Fall | Timeline