The 1962 crisis involving the United States and the Soviet Union over missiles in Cuba is known as what?

• A. Vietnam War
• B. World War II
• C. Cuban Missile Crisis
• D. Tyranny

Answer: (C)

A tense Cold War showdown in 1962 between the United States and the Soviet Union over Soviet missiles placed in Cuba. This moment is known as the Cuban Missile Crisis. It brought the world to the brink of nuclear war as the U.S. blockaded Cuba and demanded removal of the missiles. After intense negotiations, the Soviets agreed to dismantle the missiles in Cuba in exchange for a U.S. pledge not to invade Cuba (along with a secret understanding to remove U.S. missiles from Turkey later). The other options refer to different events or ideas entirely: the Vietnam War was a separate conflict in Southeast Asia, World War II was a global war in the 1930s–40s, and tyranny is not a specific event.