25 Staggering Facts About the Cold War

PocketEpiphany Published 07/06/2023 in wtf

The Cold War has become the subject of fuzzy memories. Between distorted history and wild movies, it's tough to remember what those years were really like. That's where we come in! We've assembled the HOTTEST facts from r/todayilearned about the Cold War. Keep reading to remember just how weird things got!

For more fun history facts, check out 20 D-Day Facts You’ve Never Heard Before.

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1.
Today I learned about America's Cold War doomsday weapon, SLAM. It was a nuclear-powered cruise missile that would have dropped nuclear bombs at predetermined locations while releasing radiation from its unshielded reactor and then crashed into an area when it was finished.
2.
The Icelandic government banned the stationing of black American soldiers in Iceland during the Cold War so as to "protect Icelandic women and preserve a homogenous national body". After pressure from the US military, the ban was eventually lifted in the late 1960s.-u/OptimalProblemSolver
3.
In 1985, in the midst of the cold war, US President Ronald Reagan and USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev made a pact to put both their countries' differences aside and have their militaries join as one if an alien invasion ever happened.-u/RingoStarAllies
4.
The American Cold War-era stealth plane, the Lockheed SR-71, was made of 92% titanium. Most of this titanium was bought through shell companies directly from the USSR. Enough was supplied to build 32 planes.
5.
Helsinki, Finland was used to film many Cold War-era Hollywood movies when filming in the USSR was not possible. Examples include The Kremlin Letter (1970), Reds (1981), and Gorky Park (1983).
6.
To train new operatives during the Cold War, the Soviets built fully functional replicas of American towns. Their residents consisted of retired deep cover operatives who taught the trainees everything they needed to know about blending into American life.
7.
Kim Philby, a high-ranking MI6 spy and chief liaison for American/British intelligence relations was actually a Soviet agent during WW2 and the Cold War. He betrayed John le le Carré which is why he left spying to become a writer. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was partly inspired by him.
8.
Today I learned of Vasili Mitrokhin, a KGB archivist who kept a vast collection of handwritten notes on top-secret files. When he defected to British Intelligence in 1992, he brought six trunks of notes with him that exposed most KGB activities in the West during the Cold War.
9.
The Lockheed U-2 spy plane, famous for conducting covert reconnaissance during the Cold War, is still in active service after 65 years, being used for military and scientific missions.
10.
During the peak of the Cold War, one of the tasks given to Niel Armstrong was to place two Soviet medals on the moon to honor their fallen Soviet competitors.
11.
Over 600 fighter pilots of the Swedish Air Force were killed in training exercises during the duration of the Cold War. Eventually in the 1960's flight safety became a concern because aircraft became more expensive.
12.
Switzerland finally dismantled last Cold War-era explosives from a bridge leading to Germany. They built such defenses to protect the country in the time of invasion!
13.
After the Cold War, the United States paired some of its states with eastern European countries to help bolster their armies and assert their independence.
14.
Today I learned about Building 470, a seven-story steel and brick building used during the Cold War for small-scale production of biological warfare agents. It was hermetically sealed and negatively pressurized, with false windows to make it appear to be a barracks or office building.
15.
During the Space Race in the Cold War, the USSR already had a head start by having the first satellite launched into space, known as Sputnik I, and by the time the USA had launched its first successful satellite into space, known as Explorer I, the USSR had already launched Sputnik II.
16.
The motto, "In God We Trust," is not the original motto of the United States. During the Cold War, it was changed from "E Pluribus Unum" ("from many, one") in an effort to differentiate the United States from atheistic communism.
17.
Today I learned about Project Dark Gene, a joint CIA and Iranian program during the Cold War to fly Iranian fighter jets piloted by Americans into Soviet airspace to test defenses. This resulted in multiple planes being shot down and deaths.
18.
Ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev was the first Soviet artist to defect to the West during the Cold War, when he eluded Soviet security men at the airport in Paris and requested asylum, while on a tour with the Soviet Kirov Ballet in France, on June 1961.
19.
A man (Robert Ballard) that went looking for the Titanic was only using that as a cover for a secret Cold War US Navy mission. The mission was completed 12 days earlier than expected, so with the time he had left he looked, and he found it!
20.
The real-life inspiration for "The Americans" was not Cold War spies, but 10 Russian deep-cover agents captured in 2010; but the show creator was unimpressed by the public's lukewarm reaction to the case, and figured the story would make for better TV if set in the Cold War.
21.
During the height of the Cold War, the US built an embassy in Moscow that was so riddled with eavesdropping equipment, by 1985 the building was abandoned after spending $136 million. Eventually, the embassy was taken apart brick by brick and rebuilt over 15 years at a cost of $240 million.
22.
The US military secretly built a flying saucer named VZ-9 Avrocar during the Cold War.
23.
Today I learned of Qian Xuesen, a Chinese rocket scientist and mathematician, who worked on the Manhattan Project during WW2 to help America build the world's first atomic bomb. During the Cold War, he was accused of being a communist and fled America to China, where he helped China build its first atomic bomb.
24.
During the Cold War, the USA tried to intimidate the Soviet Bloc by convincing them that then-president Richard Nixon was an unstable lunatic who was likely to lash out for no rational reason, based on the dubious "madman theory" of foreign policy.
25.
Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev gifted US President John F Kennedy a dog called Pushinka during the Cold War. She later on had puppies; which Kennedy referred to as "the pupniks."

1.
Today I learned about America's Cold War doomsday weapon, SLAM. It was a nuclear-powered cruise missile that would have dropped nuclear bombs at predetermined locations while releasing radiation from its unshielded reactor and then crashed into an area when it was finished.
2.
The Icelandic government banned the stationing of black American soldiers in Iceland during the Cold War so as to "protect Icelandic women and preserve a homogenous national body". After pressure from the US military, the ban was eventually lifted in the late 1960s.-u/OptimalProblemSolver
3.
In 1985, in the midst of the cold war, US President Ronald Reagan and USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev made a pact to put both their countries' differences aside and have their militaries join as one if an alien invasion ever happened.-u/RingoStarAllies
4.
The American Cold War-era stealth plane, the Lockheed SR-71, was made of 92% titanium. Most of this titanium was bought through shell companies directly from the USSR. Enough was supplied to build 32 planes.
5.
Helsinki, Finland was used to film many Cold War-era Hollywood movies when filming in the USSR was not possible. Examples include The Kremlin Letter (1970), Reds (1981), and Gorky Park (1983).
6.
To train new operatives during the Cold War, the Soviets built fully functional replicas of American towns. Their residents consisted of retired deep cover operatives who taught the trainees everything they needed to know about blending into American life.
7.
Kim Philby, a high-ranking MI6 spy and chief liaison for American/British intelligence relations was actually a Soviet agent during WW2 and the Cold War. He betrayed John le le Carré which is why he left spying to become a writer. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was partly inspired by him.
8.
Today I learned of Vasili Mitrokhin, a KGB archivist who kept a vast collection of handwritten notes on top-secret files. When he defected to British Intelligence in 1992, he brought six trunks of notes with him that exposed most KGB activities in the West during the Cold War.
9.
The Lockheed U-2 spy plane, famous for conducting covert reconnaissance during the Cold War, is still in active service after 65 years, being used for military and scientific missions.
10.
During the peak of the Cold War, one of the tasks given to Niel Armstrong was to place two Soviet medals on the moon to honor their fallen Soviet competitors.
11.
Over 600 fighter pilots of the Swedish Air Force were killed in training exercises during the duration of the Cold War. Eventually in the 1960's flight safety became a concern because aircraft became more expensive.
12.
Switzerland finally dismantled last Cold War-era explosives from a bridge leading to Germany. They built such defenses to protect the country in the time of invasion!
13.
After the Cold War, the United States paired some of its states with eastern European countries to help bolster their armies and assert their independence.
14.
Today I learned about Building 470, a seven-story steel and brick building used during the Cold War for small-scale production of biological warfare agents. It was hermetically sealed and negatively pressurized, with false windows to make it appear to be a barracks or office building.
15.
During the Space Race in the Cold War, the USSR already had a head start by having the first satellite launched into space, known as Sputnik I, and by the time the USA had launched its first successful satellite into space, known as Explorer I, the USSR had already launched Sputnik II.
16.
The motto, "In God We Trust," is not the original motto of the United States. During the Cold War, it was changed from "E Pluribus Unum" ("from many, one") in an effort to differentiate the United States from atheistic communism.
17.
Today I learned about Project Dark Gene, a joint CIA and Iranian program during the Cold War to fly Iranian fighter jets piloted by Americans into Soviet airspace to test defenses. This resulted in multiple planes being shot down and deaths.
18.
Ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev was the first Soviet artist to defect to the West during the Cold War, when he eluded Soviet security men at the airport in Paris and requested asylum, while on a tour with the Soviet Kirov Ballet in France, on June 1961.
19.
A man (Robert Ballard) that went looking for the Titanic was only using that as a cover for a secret Cold War US Navy mission. The mission was completed 12 days earlier than expected, so with the time he had left he looked, and he found it!
20.
The real-life inspiration for "The Americans" was not Cold War spies, but 10 Russian deep-cover agents captured in 2010; but the show creator was unimpressed by the public's lukewarm reaction to the case, and figured the story would make for better TV if set in the Cold War.
21.
During the height of the Cold War, the US built an embassy in Moscow that was so riddled with eavesdropping equipment, by 1985 the building was abandoned after spending $136 million. Eventually, the embassy was taken apart brick by brick and rebuilt over 15 years at a cost of $240 million.
22.
The US military secretly built a flying saucer named VZ-9 Avrocar during the Cold War.
23.
Today I learned of Qian Xuesen, a Chinese rocket scientist and mathematician, who worked on the Manhattan Project during WW2 to help America build the world's first atomic bomb. During the Cold War, he was accused of being a communist and fled America to China, where he helped China build its first atomic bomb.
24.
During the Cold War, the USA tried to intimidate the Soviet Bloc by convincing them that then-president Richard Nixon was an unstable lunatic who was likely to lash out for no rational reason, based on the dubious "madman theory" of foreign policy.
25.
Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev gifted US President John F Kennedy a dog called Pushinka during the Cold War. She later on had puppies; which Kennedy referred to as "the pupniks."

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NEXT GALLERY 22 Memes That Only Tell the Truth

1. Today I learned about America's Cold War doomsday weapon, SLAM. It was a nuclear-powered cruise missile that would have dropped nuclear bombs at predetermined locations while releasing radiation from its unshielded reactor and then crashed into an area when it was finished.

2. The Icelandic government banned the stationing of black American soldiers in Iceland during the Cold War so as to "protect Icelandic women and preserve a homogenous national body". After pressure from the US military, the ban was eventually lifted in the late 1960s.-u/OptimalProblemSolver

3. In 1985, in the midst of the cold war, US President Ronald Reagan and USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev made a pact to put both their countries' differences aside and have their militaries join as one if an alien invasion ever happened.-u/RingoStarAllies

4. The American Cold War-era stealth plane, the Lockheed SR-71, was made of 92% titanium. Most of this titanium was bought through shell companies directly from the USSR. Enough was supplied to build 32 planes.

5. Helsinki, Finland was used to film many Cold War-era Hollywood movies when filming in the USSR was not possible. Examples include The Kremlin Letter (1970), Reds (1981), and Gorky Park (1983).

6. To train new operatives during the Cold War, the Soviets built fully functional replicas of American towns. Their residents consisted of retired deep cover operatives who taught the trainees everything they needed to know about blending into American life.

7. Kim Philby, a high-ranking MI6 spy and chief liaison for American/British intelligence relations was actually a Soviet agent during WW2 and the Cold War. He betrayed John le le Carré which is why he left spying to become a writer. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was partly inspired by him.

8. Today I learned of Vasili Mitrokhin, a KGB archivist who kept a vast collection of handwritten notes on top-secret files. When he defected to British Intelligence in 1992, he brought six trunks of notes with him that exposed most KGB activities in the West during the Cold War.

9. The Lockheed U-2 spy plane, famous for conducting covert reconnaissance during the Cold War, is still in active service after 65 years, being used for military and scientific missions.

10. During the peak of the Cold War, one of the tasks given to Niel Armstrong was to place two Soviet medals on the moon to honor their fallen Soviet competitors.

11. Over 600 fighter pilots of the Swedish Air Force were killed in training exercises during the duration of the Cold War. Eventually in the 1960's flight safety became a concern because aircraft became more expensive.

12. Switzerland finally dismantled last Cold War-era explosives from a bridge leading to Germany. They built such defenses to protect the country in the time of invasion!

13. After the Cold War, the United States paired some of its states with eastern European countries to help bolster their armies and assert their independence.

14. Today I learned about Building 470, a seven-story steel and brick building used during the Cold War for small-scale production of biological warfare agents. It was hermetically sealed and negatively pressurized, with false windows to make it appear to be a barracks or office building.

15. During the Space Race in the Cold War, the USSR already had a head start by having the first satellite launched into space, known as Sputnik I, and by the time the USA had launched its first successful satellite into space, known as Explorer I, the USSR had already launched Sputnik II.

16. The motto, "In God We Trust," is not the original motto of the United States. During the Cold War, it was changed from "E Pluribus Unum" ("from many, one") in an effort to differentiate the United States from atheistic communism.

17. Today I learned about Project Dark Gene, a joint CIA and Iranian program during the Cold War to fly Iranian fighter jets piloted by Americans into Soviet airspace to test defenses. This resulted in multiple planes being shot down and deaths.

18. Ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev was the first Soviet artist to defect to the West during the Cold War, when he eluded Soviet security men at the airport in Paris and requested asylum, while on a tour with the Soviet Kirov Ballet in France, on June 1961.

19. A man (Robert Ballard) that went looking for the Titanic was only using that as a cover for a secret Cold War US Navy mission. The mission was completed 12 days earlier than expected, so with the time he had left he looked, and he found it!

20. The real-life inspiration for "The Americans" was not Cold War spies, but 10 Russian deep-cover agents captured in 2010; but the show creator was unimpressed by the public's lukewarm reaction to the case, and figured the story would make for better TV if set in the Cold War.

21. During the height of the Cold War, the US built an embassy in Moscow that was so riddled with eavesdropping equipment, by 1985 the building was abandoned after spending $136 million. Eventually, the embassy was taken apart brick by brick and rebuilt over 15 years at a cost of $240 million.

22. The US military secretly built a flying saucer named VZ-9 Avrocar during the Cold War.

24. During the Cold War, the USA tried to intimidate the Soviet Bloc by convincing them that then-president Richard Nixon was an unstable lunatic who was likely to lash out for no rational reason, based on the dubious "madman theory" of foreign policy.

25. Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev gifted US President John F Kennedy a dog called Pushinka during the Cold War. She later on had puppies; which Kennedy referred to as "the pupniks."

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1.
Today I learned about America's Cold War doomsday weapon, SLAM. It was a nuclear-powered cruise missile that would have dropped nuclear bombs at predetermined locations while releasing radiation from its unshielded reactor and then crashed into an area when it was finished.

2.
The Icelandic government banned the stationing of black American soldiers in Iceland during the Cold War so as to "protect Icelandic women and preserve a homogenous national body". After pressure from the US military, the ban was eventually lifted in the late 1960s.-u/OptimalProblemSolver

3.
In 1985, in the midst of the cold war, US President Ronald Reagan and USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev made a pact to put both their countries' differences aside and have their militaries join as one if an alien invasion ever happened.-u/RingoStarAllies

4.
The American Cold War-era stealth plane, the Lockheed SR-71, was made of 92% titanium. Most of this titanium was bought through shell companies directly from the USSR. Enough was supplied to build 32 planes.

5.
Helsinki, Finland was used to film many Cold War-era Hollywood movies when filming in the USSR was not possible. Examples include The Kremlin Letter (1970), Reds (1981), and Gorky Park (1983).

6.
To train new operatives during the Cold War, the Soviets built fully functional replicas of American towns. Their residents consisted of retired deep cover operatives who taught the trainees everything they needed to know about blending into American life.

7.
Kim Philby, a high-ranking MI6 spy and chief liaison for American/British intelligence relations was actually a Soviet agent during WW2 and the Cold War. He betrayed John le le Carré which is why he left spying to become a writer. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was partly inspired by him.

8.
Today I learned of Vasili Mitrokhin, a KGB archivist who kept a vast collection of handwritten notes on top-secret files. When he defected to British Intelligence in 1992, he brought six trunks of notes with him that exposed most KGB activities in the West during the Cold War.

9.
The Lockheed U-2 spy plane, famous for conducting covert reconnaissance during the Cold War, is still in active service after 65 years, being used for military and scientific missions.

10.
During the peak of the Cold War, one of the tasks given to Niel Armstrong was to place two Soviet medals on the moon to honor their fallen Soviet competitors.

11.
Over 600 fighter pilots of the Swedish Air Force were killed in training exercises during the duration of the Cold War. Eventually in the 1960's flight safety became a concern because aircraft became more expensive.

12.
Switzerland finally dismantled last Cold War-era explosives from a bridge leading to Germany. They built such defenses to protect the country in the time of invasion!

13.
After the Cold War, the United States paired some of its states with eastern European countries to help bolster their armies and assert their independence.

14.
Today I learned about Building 470, a seven-story steel and brick building used during the Cold War for small-scale production of biological warfare agents. It was hermetically sealed and negatively pressurized, with false windows to make it appear to be a barracks or office building.

15.
During the Space Race in the Cold War, the USSR already had a head start by having the first satellite launched into space, known as Sputnik I, and by the time the USA had launched its first successful satellite into space, known as Explorer I, the USSR had already launched Sputnik II.

16.
The motto, "In God We Trust," is not the original motto of the United States. During the Cold War, it was changed from "E Pluribus Unum" ("from many, one") in an effort to differentiate the United States from atheistic communism.

17.
Today I learned about Project Dark Gene, a joint CIA and Iranian program during the Cold War to fly Iranian fighter jets piloted by Americans into Soviet airspace to test defenses. This resulted in multiple planes being shot down and deaths.

18.
Ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev was the first Soviet artist to defect to the West during the Cold War, when he eluded Soviet security men at the airport in Paris and requested asylum, while on a tour with the Soviet Kirov Ballet in France, on June 1961.

19.
A man (Robert Ballard) that went looking for the Titanic was only using that as a cover for a secret Cold War US Navy mission. The mission was completed 12 days earlier than expected, so with the time he had left he looked, and he found it!

20.
The real-life inspiration for "The Americans" was not Cold War spies, but 10 Russian deep-cover agents captured in 2010; but the show creator was unimpressed by the public's lukewarm reaction to the case, and figured the story would make for better TV if set in the Cold War.

21.
During the height of the Cold War, the US built an embassy in Moscow that was so riddled with eavesdropping equipment, by 1985 the building was abandoned after spending $136 million. Eventually, the embassy was taken apart brick by brick and rebuilt over 15 years at a cost of $240 million.

22.
The US military secretly built a flying saucer named VZ-9 Avrocar during the Cold War.

24.
During the Cold War, the USA tried to intimidate the Soviet Bloc by convincing them that then-president Richard Nixon was an unstable lunatic who was likely to lash out for no rational reason, based on the dubious "madman theory" of foreign policy.

25.
Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev gifted US President John F Kennedy a dog called Pushinka during the Cold War. She later on had puppies; which Kennedy referred to as "the pupniks."