Today in history: October 16

President Kennedy was informed that the Soviet Union had placed nuclear missiles in Cuba. It was the beginning of the Cuban Missile Crisis that nearly led to nuclear war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union

JFK
(Image credit: (Keystone/Getty Images))

Oct. 16, 1962: President Kennedy was informed that the Soviet Union had placed nuclear missiles in Cuba — able to hit most of the U.S. It was the beginning of the Cuban Missile Crisis — a tense 13-day standoff — that nearly led to nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union. Historians estimate that had the Cuban Missile Crisis escalated into nuclear war, 100 million Americans and 100 millions Russians would have died. The standoff gave birth to the term Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD) — in which both sides understood that they would each be destroyed in a nuclear conflict.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us