1953 Dwight D. Eisenhower is inaugurated President. The Navy launches the first nuclear-powered submarine, U.S.S. Nautilus. The Shippingport Atomic Power Station, the world's first full-scale nuclear power plant, becomes operational at Shippingport, Pennsylvania. The Soviet Union breaks the nuclear test moratorium. The United States resumes nuclear weapons testing.
Reconnaissance reveals Soviet missiles in Cuba.
The United States blockades Cuba for 13 days until the Soviet Union agrees to remove its missiles. Nuclear testing continues underground. The Atomic Energy Commission makes the Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor its highest reactor development priority. The first major power blackout covers the northeast United States.