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The Cuban Missile Crisis refers to the tense thirteen-day period in October 1962 when the United States and the Soviet Union came close to nuclear war. This event is a significant moment within the broader context of Cold War History, as it represents one of the most dangerous periods of the protracted conflict between these two superpowers. The crisis began when American spy planes discovered Soviet missile sites being constructed in Cuba, just 90 miles off the coast of Florida. President John F. Kennedy responded by establishing a naval blockade around the island and demanding that the Soviet Union dismantle the missile bases. The world held its breath as tensions escalated between the two adversaries, with each side threatening to use military force if their demands were not met. The crisis was ultimately defused when Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev agreed to dismantle the missile sites in exchange for a US promise not to invade Cuba and to remove its own missiles from Turkey. The Cuban Missile Crisis is an important part of Modern History as well, as it demonstrated the dangers of nuclear proliferation and the potential consequences of brinkmanship during times of international conflict. The crisis also highlighted the importance of diplomacy and back-channel communications in resolving disputes between nations, and it marked a turning point in US-Soviet relations that would eventually lead to the détente of the 1970s.