this day in the yesteryear: “Red Telephone” Established Between US and USSR (1963)

“Red Telephone” Established Between US and USSR (1963)

During the Cuban Missile Crisis, it took the US nearly 12 hours to receive and decode Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev’s initial settlement message. By the time the US drafted a reply, Moscow had already sent new demands. Afterward, it was decided that the crisis could have been resolved more quickly with faster communication. In 1963, a “hot line”—the so-called “red telephone”—was established to provide a direct link between the White House and the Kremlin. When was the hotline first used? More… Discuss

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY: NIKITA KHRUSHCHEV (1894)

Nikita Khrushchev (1894)

In the power struggle that followed Joseph Stalin’s death, Nikita Khrushchev emerged as leader of the USSR. He became First Secretary of the Communist Party in 1953 and the Soviet premier five years later. He was highly critical of Stalin’s rule and oversaw many reforms. Jovial in manner and often deliberately uncouth, he had a brash, extraverted style of diplomacy that became his trademark. Before his removal from office, the Communist Party accused him of mishandling what event in 1962? More… Discuss

This Day in the Yesteryear: FIRST MAN-MADE OBJECT REACHES THE MOON (1959)

First Man-Made Object Reaches the Moon (1959)

In the early years of space exploration, the US and USSR launched numerous probes in their race to explore outer space and the Moon in particular. The first probes were intended either to pass very close to the Moon—performing a flyby—or crash directly into it—a maneuver known as a hard landing. The Soviets were the first to succeed in the latter objective. Luna 2 impacted the lunar surface on September 14, 1959. What did Premier Nikita Khrushchev present to the US president the next day? More… Discuss