In this thorough timeline, learn about the major wars and events that shaped the Cold War. Explore the key events that defined this period of political unrest and ideological conflict, from the Yalta Conference through the creation of NATO. Learn more about the Berlin Airlift, the Truman Doctrine, and other pivotal Cold War moments.
| Event | Year |
| Yalta Conference | 28-Apr |
| Potsdam Conference | 1945 |
| Truman Doctrine | 1947 |
| Marshall Plan | May-05 |
| Berlin Airlift | 1948 |
| Formation of NATO | 1949 |
| Chinese Communist Revolution | 1949 |
| Korean War | 1950-1953 |
| Warsaw Pact formed | 1955 |
| Hungarian Revolution | 1956 |
| Suez Crisis | 1956 |
| Cuban Revolution | 1959 |
| U-2 Incident | 1960 |
| Bay of Pigs Invasion | 1961 |
| Construction of the Berlin Wall | 1961 |
| Cuban Missile Crisis | 1962 |
| Assassination of JFK | 1963 |
| Gulf of Tonkin Incident | 1964 |
| Vietnam War | 1965-1973 |
| Prague Spring | 1968 |
| Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty signed | 1968 |
| SALT I Agreement | 1972 |
| Helsinki Accords | 1975 |
| Soviet invasion of Afghanistan | 1979 |
| Solidarity Movement in Poland | 1980 |
| Strategic Defense Initiative announced | 1983 |
| Chernobyl Disaster | 1986 |
| Fall of the Berlin Wall | 1989 |
| Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia | 1989 |
| Reunification of Germany | 1990 |
| Dissolution of the Soviet Union | 1991 |
| START I Treaty signed | 1991 |
| Gulf War | 1990-1991 |
| Signing of the INF Treaty | 1987 |
| Yugoslav Wars | 1991-2001 |
| NATO intervention in Kosovo | 1999 |
| 9/11 Attacks | 2001 |
| War in Afghanistan | 2001-2021 |
| Iraq War | 2003-2011 |
| Russia’s annexation of Crimea | 2014 |
| Syrian Civil War | 2011-present |
| North Korea nuclear tests | 2006-present |
| Annexation of Crimea by Russia | 2014 |
| Conflict in Ukraine | 2014-present |
