US Foreign Affairs timeline
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The Potsdam Conference is Held at Cecilienhof
The Potsdam Conference was held at Cecilienhof, the home of Crown Prince Wilhelm Hohenzollern, in Potsdam, occupied Germany, from July 16 to August... Read more
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George F. Kennan Writes the Long Telegram
G. F. Kennan had been stationed at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow as minister-counselor since 1944. Although highly critical of the Soviet system, the... Read more
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The Greek Civil War Reignites Following Attack on a Police Station in Litohoro
The Greek Civil War (Greek: ο Eμφύλιος [Πόλεμος], "the Civil War") was fought from 1946 to 1949 between the Greek governmental army, backed by... Read more
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Full-Scale War Resumes Between the Communist Party of China and the Kuomintang
With the breakdown of talks, an all out war resumed. This stage is referred to in Communist media and historiography as the "War of Liberation"... Read more
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The Soviet Union tests its first atomic bomb to become the world's second nuclear power.
The RDS-1 (Russian: РДС-1), was the Soviet Union's first nuclear weapon test. It is also known as Joe-1, in reference to Joseph Stalin. It was... Read more
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Chiang Kai-Shek Moves His Capital to Taipei
Chiang moved the government to Taipei, Taiwan, where he formally resumed his duties as president on 1 March 1950.Chiang was reelected by the... Read more
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North Korean army invades South Korea
June 25, 1950 At approximately 4 a.m. (Korean Standard Time) on a rainy Sunday morning Democratic People's Republic of Korea Army (DPRK - North... Read more
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Battle of Osan
The Battle of Osan was the first engagement between United States and North Korean forces during the Korean War. U.S. Task Force Smith of 540 men... Read more
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Battle of Pusan Perimeter
The Battle of Pusan Perimeter was fought in August and September 1950 between United Nations Command forces combined with South Korean forces and... Read more
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Battle of Inchon
The Battle of Inchon (Korean: 인천 상륙 작전, Hanja: 仁川上陸作戰, Incheon Sangnyuk Jakjeon; code name: Operation Arthur) was an amphibious invasion and battle... Read more
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Chinese forces intervene in Korean War
The United Nations troops drove the North Koreans back past the 38th parallel. Urban combat in Seoul, 1950, as U.S. Marines fight North... Read more
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Battle of the Chosin Reservoir
The Battle of Chosin Reservoir, also known as Battle of Changjin Lake (simplified Chinese: 长津湖之战; pinyin: Cháng Jīn Hū Zhī Zhàn), was a battle in... Read more
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Operation Courageous
Operation Courageous was a military operation performed by the United States Army during the Korean War designed to trap large numbers of Chinese... Read more
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Japan Signs the Treaty of San Francisco and the Treaty of Taipei to Become a Sovereign State
Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty, commonly known as the Treaty of Taipei as it was signed in Taipei, was a peace treaty between Japan and the Republic of... Read more
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Battle of Triangle Hill
The Battle of Triangle Hill, also known as Operation Showdown or the Shangganling Campaign (simplified Chinese: 上甘岭战役; pinyin: Shànggānlǐng... Read more
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Joseph Stalin Dies
At the end of January 1953 Stalin's personal physician Miron Vovsi (cousin of Solomon Mikhoels who was assassinated in 1948 at the orders of... Read more
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Warsaw Pact is Signed
The Warsaw Pact (see Nomenclature) was a group of Communist states in Central and Eastern Europe. It was the military equivalent of CoMEcon (the... Read more
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United States B-26B Invader Bombers Attack Three Cuban Airfields
At about 06.00 Cuba local time on 15 April 1961, eight Douglas B-26B Invader bombers in three groups, simultaneously attacked three Cuban... Read more
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Bay of Pigs Invasion
The Bay of Pigs Invasion (known as La Batalla de Girón in Cuba), was an unsuccessful attempt by a U.S.-trained force of Cuban exiles to invade... Read more
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Construction Begins on the Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall (German: Berliner Mauer) was a physical barrier completely encircling West Berlin, separating it from the German Democratic... Read more
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Axe Murder Incident at the Korean Demilitarized Zone
The Axe Murder Incident (Korean: 판문점 도끼 살인 사건) was the killing of two United States Army officers by North Korean soldiers on August 18, 1976 in... Read more
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Berlin Wall Falls
On August 23, 1989, Hungary removed its physical border defences with Austria, and in September more than 13,000 East German tourists in Hungary... Read more
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North Korean Submarine Lands Near Gangneung Sparking Deadly 49-Day Manhunt
The 1996 Gangneung submarine infiltration incident occurred on September 18, 1996, near the South Korean town of Gangneung. On September 15, a... Read more
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First group of detainees arrives at Guantanamo Bay's Camp X-Ray
In 2001, President George W. Bush signed an executive order that stipulated that US military could indefinitely detain any non-citizen who he... Read more
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Second Battle of Yeonpyeong
On June 29, 2002 a North Korean patrol boat crossed the northern limit line and was warned to turn back. Shortly afterward a second patrol craft... Read more