A U2 Spy plane flying over Cuba took pictures in October 1962 that revealed without doubt that Soviet missile bases were being built on Cuban soil.
What followed was a stand off over the fate of these missiles, with the world wondering if either of the two big Cold War players might just fire a nuclear weapon.
Stephen Loosley, a non-resident Senior Fellow at the United States Studies Centre, explained to Indira Naidoo on the ABC's Nightlife program how Cuba came to be a part of the Cold War, and what took place as the US and USSR faced off over the fate of the missile bases.