On 22 October 1962, US President John F Kennedy delivered a pivotal televised address that reverberated across the globe.
He informed the American public, and the world, about the discovery of Soviet missile installations in Cuba, a mere 90 miles off the coast of the United States.
These bases housed nuclear missiles capable of striking major cities across the Western Hemisphere.
In response, Kennedy declared a naval blockade—termed a "quarantine"—to halt further Soviet shipments of military equipment to Cuba, marking the beginning of a tense 13-day standoff between the superpowers.
The US president’s decisive action underscored the grave danger the world faced as it teetered on the brink of nuclear war, initiating a diplomatic and military showdown that would become known as the Cuban Missile Crisis.
