Key individuals
This U.S. president famously declared, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"
Who is Ronald Reagan?
This physical barrier divided East and West Berlin and became a symbol of the Cold War.
What is the Berlin Wall?
This 1963 speech by Martin Luther King Jr. called for racial equality and is one of his most famous addresses.
What is the "I Have a Dream" speech?
The space race began with this Soviet satellite's launch in 1957.
What is Sputnik?
This Cold War policy aimed to contain the spread of communism.
What is containment?
She refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus, sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
Who is Rosa Parks?
The U.S. and Soviet Union came close to nuclear war during this 13-day standoff in 1962.
What is the Cuban Missile Crisis?
The 1964 legislation outlawed segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination.
What is the Civil Rights Act of 1964?
This American astronaut was the first human to walk on the moon in 1969.
Who is Neil Armstrong?
This doctrine, introduced by Harry Truman, pledged U.S. support to nations resisting communism.
What is the Truman Doctrine?
This Soviet leader implemented the policies of glasnost and perestroika in the 1980s
Who is Mikhail Gorbachev?
This Cold War conflict in Southeast Asia lasted from 1955 to 1975, involving the U.S. and communist forces.
What is the Vietnam War?
This 1965 event, where marchers were attacked on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, became known as "Bloody Sunday."
What is the Selma to Montgomery march?
This U.S.-Soviet rivalry involved a race to build the most advanced nuclear weapons.
What is the arms race?
This concept, associated with the Civil Rights Movement, called for racial integration and equality.
What is desegregation?
He was the first African American Supreme Court Justice and argued the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case.
Who is Thurgood Marshall?
This 1948–1949 operation involved airlifting supplies to a blockaded West Berlin.
What is the Berlin Airlift?
The Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education overturned this previous decision.
What is Plessy v. Ferguson?
The U.S. developed this economic recovery program to counter Soviet influence in post-WWII Europe.
What is the Marshall Plan?
This philosophy, championed by Martin Luther King Jr., emphasized peaceful resistance to injustice.
What is nonviolent civil disobedience?
This FBI director led the agency during both the Cold War and the Civil Rights Movement and was accused of surveilling Martin Luther King Jr.
Who is J. Edgar Hoover?
This 1980s anti-Soviet resistance movement was supported by U.S. aid in Afghanistan.
What is the Mujahideen?
This group, founded in 1966, emphasized Black power, self-defense, and community programs.
Who are the Black Panthers?
This chess player represented the U.S. in the famous "Match of the Century" against the Soviet Union's Boris Spassky in 1972.
Who is Bobby Fischer?
This economic strategy aimed to rebuild Western Europe while strengthening alliances against Soviet expansion.
What is the Marshall Plan?