Cuban Missile Crisis: Key events of October 1962

The Cuban Missile Crisis represented the most severe confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The crisis began in mid-October 1962, after U.S. U-2 reconnaissance flights captured photographic evidence of Soviet medium-range nuclear missile sites being constructed in Cuba.

In response to the strategic threat, President John F. Kennedy ordered a maritime blockade of the island. Tensions peaked on October 27, 1962, a day often referred to as ‘Black Saturday,’ involving the downing of an American aircraft over Cuba and confrontations between Soviet submarines and U.S. naval vessels.

The standoff concluded on October 28, 1962, when Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev agreed to dismantle and remove the missiles. In exchange, the United States pledged not to invade Cuba and eventually lifted the blockade. To prevent future nuclear escalations, the two superpowers established a direct communication hotline.