The Beginner's Guide to the Cold War

How does it feel to one day be a normal politician... and the next day to be given the power to destroy the world? Harry Truman knows...

Winston Churchill signals the beginning of the Cold War with a famous speech... and an even more famous phrase.

A sneaky and decisive move from Stalin quickly becomes a propaganda nightmare as the Western allies show they are willing to defend the people of a broken, battered and blockaded Berlin.

Ever hear of the time American planes bombed Berlin... with candy? Now you have.

Nightmare news for the Western Allies as the world's most populous nation becomes Communist

Ever wonder why there's a North and South Korea? How about the time an America general asked for permission to drop 26 atomic bombs on the Korea-China border?

The USSR gains a new leader - a man who never finished school but was a master at making mincemeat of anyone who thought thy could take him down.

We will... outlast you? Cold Wars are hard enough, without the added difficulty of not being able to understand one another.

And just like that, Communism wasn't on the other side of the world from America... it was above them.

We celebrate humanity's first two space travelers, as the USSR takes a huge lead in the Space Race

How did the most enduing symbol of the Cold War come about - and how did it feel to be caught on the other side from your family?

Aiming to catch up to the Soviets in the Space Race, a brand new president sets an almost unbelievably ambitious goal...

Fidel Castro cements his grip on Cuba, the CIA is embarrassed... and JFK learns a valuable lesson about not trusting your military advisors.

They're eyeball to eyeball... which superpower will blink?

The world's two superpowers continue to face off with their fingers hovering over the big red button which will mean the end of civilization

Whew. That was close. Just how close? Well, let's just say we owe a big thank you to a guy named Vasili Arkhipov.

The British Invasion brings four young men from Liverpool to the USA - and western society is never the same again.

Not everyone was wrapped upon the societal revolution. Some doubled down on what it means to be American... and we still see this huge divide in society to this day.

I take pride in the words... I am a doughnut?

What do you do when the world changes in the blink of an eye? They say everyone remembers where they were when they heard Kennedy had been shot... go and ask your grandparents!

Moon landing hoax? Nope!

JFK Conspiracy? Hmmm....

Frederick Douglas said: If there is no struggle, there is no progress. We'll explore the two great struggles of 1960s America: The Civil Rights movement, and the Vietnam War.

"Three hundred years of deprivation, humiliation and abuse cannot be expected to find voice in a whisper."

A terrible war in South East Asia leads to Americans questioning their fundamental values - and sees society divided even further.

Ever have one of these days where everything seems to happen at once? 1968 was like that for the Cold War.

Even as they land on the Moon, America must come to terms with losing the Vietnam War.

Tricky Dicky lives up to his name... and destroys the American peoples trust in politics while he's at it.

We revisit Nixon's biggest diplomatic coup... and Jimmy Carter said WHAT?

A sudden event changes the landscape of the Middle East... and sets the stage for conflicts that will take place after the end of the Cold War.

The USSR invades Afghanistan. Big mistake. It has that nickname for a reason, you know...

Rhetoric, soundbites, great hair and astrology... let's study one of the most fascinating characters of the later years of the Cold War.

A new Polish political movement - and a new Pope - spells trouble for the USSR.

So exactly how close have we come to totally blowing ourselves up? Probably don't watch this one just before trying to sleep...

As America enjoys military and economic superiority, the USSR slowly begins to fall apart

Reagan had a simple message for Gorbachev... and an East German spokesman called Gunter Schabowski seemed to be listening.

Did the triumph of Liberal Democracy and Capitalism signal the end of historical developments? Some people think so.

Or did the end of the Cold War signal the start of a darker new period... a Clash of Civilizations?