June 19, 2025

What Happened In 1960s Cuba?

The Cuban Missile Crisis was one of the most intense and dangerous moments of the Cold War, bringing the world to the brink of nuclear conflict in October 1962. For 13 days, the United States and the Soviet Union stood locked in a high-stakes standoff over the presence of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles from American shores. This quiz will test your knowledge of the key events, leaders, and decisions that defined this pivotal episode in global history.



1. In what year did the Cuban Missile Crisis occur?
A) 1959
B) 1962
C) 1965
D) 1967

2. Who was the President of the United States during the crisis?
A) Dwight D. Eisenhower
B) Lyndon B. Johnson
C) John F. Kennedy
D) Richard Nixon

3. Which country installed nuclear missiles in Cuba?
A) China
B) Soviet Union
C) North Korea
D) East Germany

4. Who was the Soviet Premier during the Cuban Missile Crisis?
A) Joseph Stalin
B) Leonid Brezhnev
C) Nikita Khrushchev
D) Mikhail Gorbachev

5. How did the U.S. discover Soviet missiles in Cuba?
A) Undercover spies
B) Intercepted radio transmissions
C) U-2 spy plane photos
D) Cuban defectors

6. What was the U.S. military response to the discovery?
A) Declared war
B) Airstrike on Cuba
C) Naval blockade
D) Ground invasion

7. What official term did the U.S. use for the blockade?
A) Isolation
B) Siege
C) Quarantine
D) Containment

8. How long did the Cuban Missile Crisis last?
A) 5 days
B) 13 days
C) 21 days
D) 1 month

9. What did the U.S. agree to do to help end the crisis?
A) Invade Cuba
B) Remove missiles from Turkey
C) Give aid to the USSR
D) End the Cold War

10. What was a key result of the Cuban Missile Crisis?
A) U.S. invaded Cuba
B) Cold War ended
C) Hotline established between U.S. and USSR
D) Cuba joined NATO

Answer Key
B) 1962
C) John F. Kennedy
B) Soviet Union
C) Nikita Khrushchev
C) U-2 spy plane photos
C) Naval blockade
C) Quarantine
B) 13 days
B) Remove missiles from Turkey
C) Hotline established between U.S. and USSR