Cold War rivalries, 1955-1963

The USSR had tested an airborne H-bomb that was 100 times more powerful than their first attempts…

By 1955

The USSR was able to develop missile delivery systems for nuclear warheads…

From 1957

Eisenhower commissions the Gaither Report

November 1957

The USSR successfully test the first Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM)

May 1957

Eisenhower negotiates an agreement with Britain at the Bermuda Conference that enables the USA to station IRBMs in Britain, manned by British personnel.

1957

Sputnik is launched

4th October 1957

Sputnik II is launched

November 1957

The US Navy’s vanguard rocket crashes on its take-off from Cape Canaveral (‘Flopnik’)

6th December 1957

The USSR’s Berlin Ultimatum is issued

27th November 1958

The US government authorises 1 billion dollars for technological development in space technology

September 1958

Eisenhower establishes NASA

1958

Krushchev becomes the USSR’s prime minister and supreme decision-maker

1958

The Western powers reject the USSR’s ultimatum about Berlin

31st December 1958

Only ten SS-6 ICBMs had been deployed by the USSR…

By 1959

The first satellite to successfully orbit the moon is launched.

October 1959

The USSR brings down a U-2 spy plane near Sverdlovsk

1st May 1960

The first manned satellite to orbit the earth is launched by the USSR and Soviet Yuri Gagarin becomes the first man to enter outer space

12th Apri 1961

Construction of the Berlin Wall is started

August 1961

The USA had successfully launched 63 space missions compared to the USSR’s 15 missions…

By 1962

The US Discoverer satellite programme was providing long-range intelligence gathering photos from space

From August 1960