The Cuban Missile Crisis. Trust me, you've NEVER seen brinksmanship like this before! 😲🎢

• President Kennedy and the Executive Committee (ExComm)
  • Formed a crisis management team.
  • Lasted for "The Thirteen Days."
• Military vs. Diplomatic Actions
  • Ignored the military's call for an immediate air strike and invasion of Cuba.
  • Implemented a naval blockade instead. (Think of this as like putting Cuba in "time-out".)
• Making Things Public
  • Went on TV to announce the blockade, or 'quarantine', to keep Soviet nukes out of Cuba.
• Soviets' Response
  • Ignored the blockade at first, but turned ships back on Oct 24.
• The Telegram Drama 📩
  • Khrushchev, the Soviet Premier, offered to remove missiles if the U.S. didn't invade Cuba.
  • Sent another, fussier, telegram demanding removal of Turkish missiles.
• Things Spiral Out of Control
  • A U.S. U-2 plane was shot down over Cuba.
• Resolution
  • Kennedy accepted Khrushchev's first offer and secretly agreed to remove Turkish missiles.

Imagine you and your sibling fighting over the TV remote. You're both pulling it, and the tension increases. Someone has to let go or the remote will break. This was like the Cuban Missile Crisis; both nations pulled until they realized they were on the brink of breaking something far more important—world peace.