Conflicts & Resolutions · Crisis

Cuban Missile Crisis

1962 · 20th century · Also known as October Crisis, Caribbean Crisis

The Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 was the closest the Cold War came to nuclear war. After American reconnaissance flights found Soviet nuclear missile sites under construction in Cuba, President Kennedy imposed a naval quarantine of the island. After thirteen days of confrontation Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles in return for an American pledge not to invade Cuba and the secret withdrawal of US missiles from Turkey.

Cuban Missile Crisis
Image: USAF · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 profiles

CanadaDeclineSoviet UnionImpact

Great speeches

Kennedy: Ask Not What Your Country Can Do for You20 January 1961

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Cuban Missile Crisis. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/cuban-missile-crisis
MLA
“Cuban Missile Crisis.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/cuban-missile-crisis. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Cuban Missile Crisis.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/cuban-missile-crisis.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Cuban Missile Crisis’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/cuban-missile-crisis (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻