The space race is on. America's first attempt to catch up, fails publicly and dramatically. The West is stunned again in 1961 when Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first person to orbit the earth. The United States will have to meet the challenge. The fate of Germany remains unresolved.
Thousands seize their opportunity to flee the communist system.
In response the East Germans with Soviet backing, build The Wall to keep their people in. Fearful of another U.S.-backed invasion, Cuban President Fidel Castro agrees. Vietnam becomes another Cold War battlefield. Since the end of colonial rule, it has been divided between communists in the North and anti-communists in the South. The United States, committed to containing communism worldwide, supports the South.