1950-1953 A.D.:
The Korean War; North Korea, assisted by China and the Soviet Union, invades South Korea, which is assisted by the United States and the United Nations. The war ends in 1953 with a stalemate at the 38th parallel.
1952 A.D.:
- 1952.03.22
Wernher Von Braun publishes the first article popularizing manned orbital space stations.
1954 A.D.:
- 1954.01.21
The US launches the USS Nautilus, the first nuclear-powered submarine.
1955 A.D.:
- 1955.05.14
The Warsaw Pact (WP), formally known as the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance (TFCMA), was a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland, between the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern Bloc socialist republics of Central and Eastern Europe as a counterforce to NATO.
- 1955.07.01
VF-84 Fighter Squadron "Jolly Rogers" (Skull Squadron) is established as an aviation unit within the United States Navy.
1955-1975 A.D.:
The Vietnam War; A long, costly, and divisive conflict is pitted between the communist government of North Vietnam against the democratic government of South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. This conflict was intensified by the ongoing political tensions between the US and the USSR. The war ends with Vietnam being united under a communist banner.
1956 A.D.:
- 1956.10.09
Henry J. Gloval is born in Moscow, Russia.
1957 A.D.:
- 1957.10.04
The USSR launches Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite. This event marks the beginning of the Space Race.
1958 A.D.:
- 1958.01.31
In response to Sputnik, the US launches Explorer 1, which encounters zones of radiation later defined as the Van Allen radiation belt.
- 1958.10.01
The US establishes the National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA).
1959 A.D.:
- 1959.09.08
Victor Jonas Maistroff is born.
1960 A.D.:
Yuri Artsutanov proposes the "Skyhook" surface-to-GEO "beanstalk" space elevator.
- 1960.09.24
The US launches the USS Enterprise, the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
1961 A.D.:
Arthur C. Clarke proposes space habitats in the Lagrange points.
- 1961.01.12
Donald Hayes is born to a long line of US military officers.
- 1961.04.17
The USSR launches Yuri A. Gagarin in Vostok 1, the first manned spacecraft.
1962 A.D.:
