What event almost brings America and the Soviet Union to full- blown nuclear war in 1962?

The event that almost brought America and the Soviet Union to full-blown nuclear war in 1962 was the Cuban Missile Crisis. This incident is considered one of the most crucial moments of the Cold War.

The crisis began in early October 1962, when American intelligence discovered Soviet ballistic missile deployment in Cuba, just 90 miles off the coast of the United States. The missiles placed in Cuba were capable of reaching much of the eastern US seaboard with nuclear warheads, posing a significant threat to American national security.

President John F. Kennedy responded by setting up a naval blockade around Cuba to prevent further Soviet shipments of military equipment to the island. He also demanded the removal of the missiles already in place and the destruction of the sites.

For a period of 13 days, from October 16 to October 28, the world watched as the United States and the Soviet Union, represented by President Kennedy and Premier Nikita Khrushchev, engaged in a tense diplomatic standoff. Both countries were on the brink of nuclear war, as they had vast arsenals of nuclear weapons at their disposal.

The crisis was resolved when Khrushchev agreed to dismantle the missile sites in Cuba in exchange for a US commitment not to invade Cuba and the secret removal of American missiles from Turkey, which threatened the Soviet Union.