Cold War

Historical eventMay 121949

Cold War

Cold War: The Soviet Union lifts its blockade of Berlin.

Everything on May 12Original source

In context

When
Thursday, May 12 194977 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
20th century · 1940s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 1949.

What happened

The Cold War was a period of international geopolitical rivalry between the United States (USA) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc. It began in the aftermath of the Second World War and ended with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. The term cold war is used because there was no direct fighting between the two superpowers, though each supported opposing sides in regional conflicts known as proxy wars.

May 12 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1949Cold War
  2. 2008Postville, Iowa
  3. 20082008 Sichuan earthquake
  4. 2010Afriqiyah Airways Flight 771
  5. 2010Tripoli International Airport
  6. 20152015 Philadelphia train derailment
  7. 2015May 2015 Nepal earthquake
  8. 2017WannaCry ransomware attack
  9. 20182018 Paris knife attack
  10. 2022Event Horizon Telescope
  11. 2024May 2024 solar storms

Also in 1949

  • June 14Albert II (monkey)Albert II, a rhesus monkey, rides a V-2 rocket to an altitude of 134 km (83 mi), thereby becoming the first mammal and first monkey in sp…
  • October 14Smith Act trials of Communist Party leadersThe first of the Smith Act trials concluded in New York City, with eleven leaders of the Communist Party of the United States found guilt…
  • June 8Nineteen Eighty-FourNineteen Eighty-Four, a dystopian political novel by the English writer George Orwell about life under a fictional totalitarian governmen…
  • January 5State of the UnionIn his State of the Union speech, U.S. president Harry S. Truman (pictured) announced: "Every segment of our population, and every indivi…
  • August 29List of nuclear weapons tests of the Soviet UnionThe Soviet Union conducted its first nuclear weapons test, detonating the 22-kiloton RDS-1.
  • March 10Mildred GillarsMildred Gillars, nicknamed Axis Sally, was convicted of treason for working with the Nazis as a broadcaster.
  • March 30Cold WarCold War: A riot breaks out in Austurvöllur square in Reykjavík, when Iceland joins NATO.
  • May 9Rainier III of MonacoRainier III became Prince of Monaco, beginning a 56-year reign, which would make him one of the longest ruling monarchs of the 20th century.

Everything we record for 1949 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Cold War”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/cold-war-1949-may-12, accessed October 24, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Cold War happen?

May 12 1949 — 77 years ago, on a Thursday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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