#Crisis October 22

We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.

Today’s Coach4aday post is about a CRISIS that most Americans learned about sixty years ago today.

Many times, I reflect on what young people worry about. One reason is as young boy I was fearful of what was reported in the news back in 1962. The most vivid worrisome moment was the Cuban Missile Crisis. Don’t think young people today are any more resilient than I was to worrisome world events.

Cuban Missile Crisis

On this date in 1962 President John F Kennedy told the nation in an 18-minute TV address that Russia had begun to construct nuclear missile bases in Cuba. American spy planes had captured intelligence that clearly showed construction was underway. JFK made it clear that the US would first place a naval quarantine around the island of Cuba but if that was not successful, they would invade.

Those decisions almost took the world to the brink of a nuclear war. US newspapers had this issue front and center during the duration of the CRISIS.

Timeline of the 13-day event can be found at this link.

Eventually Russia agreed for the missiles to be dismantled and removed from Cuba.

Great documentary below that shows just how fortunate the world was back in October 1962.