Cuban Missile Crisis

The Cuban Missile Crisis was a 13-day confrontation in October 1962 between the United States and the Soviet Union over Soviet missiles installed in Cuba, just 90 miles from Florida. U.S. President John F. Kennedy discovered these missiles and demanded their removal, leading to heightened tensions. The world faced the threat of nuclear war. After intense negotiations, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in exchange for a U.S. promise not to invade Cuba and the secret removal of U.S. missiles from Turkey. This crisis marked a critical moment in Cold War relations.