Dien Bien Phu, the Geneva Accords, and the Division of Vietnam 1954 - The division of Vietnam marked the dramatic end of French colonial rule in Indochina and created the political division that would eventually draw the United States into one of the longest and most controversial wars in its history. What began as a Vietnamese struggle against French colonial rule became entangled with the worldwide Cold War, as communist and anti-communist powers competed to determine Vietn

My Name is Fidel Castro: Revolutionary Leader of Cuba I was born in 1926 near Birán, in eastern Cuba, the son of Ángel Castro, a successful landowner, and Lina Ruz González. I grew up in a country of enormous contrasts. Cuba possessed rich farmland, sugar plantations, ports, and businesses, yet many ordinary Cubans lived in poverty while wealthy families and foreign companies controlled much of the economy. I received a good education, eventually studying law at the Universit

1959 — The Cuban Revolution: Fidel Castro Overthrows Batista In 1959, the Cuban Revolution transformed Cuba and created a political shockwave that would eventually reach far beyond the Caribbean. For years, Cuba had been ruled by Fulgencio Batista, a former army officer who seized power in a 1952 military coup after having previously served as Cuba's elected president. His new regime canceled elections, restricted political opposition, and increasingly relied on censorship an

My Name is Wernher von Braun: Rocket Engineer and Architect of the Saturn V Long before rockets became weapons of war or machines capable of carrying men to the Moon, I dreamed of traveling into space. I was born in Wirsitz, Germany, in 1912, into an aristocratic family. As a boy, mathematics did not always come easily to me, but everything changed when I discovered the writings of rocket pioneer Hermann Oberth. Suddenly mathematics and physics had a purpose. If mankind inten

Rockets Before the Space Race: From World War II to the Cold War Before Sputnik beeped above the Earth and before astronauts dreamed of walking on the Moon, the technology that would carry humanity into space was being developed for a much darker purpose. During World War II, scientists and engineers made enormous advances in rocketry as nations searched for new weapons capable of striking enemies from great distances. When the war ended in 1945, the United States and Soviet

My Name is Ernest Bevin: From a Working Boy to Britain's Foreign Secretary I became Britain's Foreign Secretary at a moment when victory in one terrible war was giving way to the dangers of another kind of struggle. I was never born to privilege, nor trained in the drawing rooms where diplomats traditionally learned their trade. I came from the working people of Britain. I knew what it meant to earn one's bread, to organize men, to argue across a table, and to stand firm when

Why NATO Was Created: Western Europe Searches for Security (1948–1949) In 1948, Western Europe was free from World War II—but it did not feel secure. Two devastating world wars had torn through the continent within a single generation, leaving cities damaged, economies weakened, and millions dead or displaced. Nazi Germany had been defeated, but another powerful force now dominated much of Eastern Europe: the Soviet Union. Soviet troops remained stationed across the East, Com

My Name is Joseph McCarthy: The Senator Who Gave His Name to McCarthyism I was born in Grand Chute, Wisconsin, in 1908. I grew up on a farm in a large Catholic family, and I learned early that advancement depended upon determination. I left school as a young man, returned to finish my education at an accelerated pace, attended Marquette University, earned a law degree, and entered politics. I became a Wisconsin circuit judge while still in my twenties. When America entered Wo

The Soviet Union, once an ally against Nazi Germany, had become America's greatest international rival, communist governments were spreading across Eastern Europe, and fears grew that communism might also be gaining influence inside the United States. By the late 1940s, Americans were entering an era in which political beliefs, friendships, employment, and even entertainment could become matters of suspicion. From Wartime Ally to Communist Rival During World War II, the Unite

My Name is Elizabeth Bentley: Soviet Courier Turned American Informant I was born in New Milford, Connecticut, in 1908, and nothing about my childhood suggested that I would someday carry secrets for Soviet intelligence. I was educated at Vassar College and later studied languages in Europe and at Columbia University. I was intelligent, ambitious, and searching for something larger than myself. During the Great Depression, capitalism appeared to many Americans to be failing.