Editor’s note: This story was originally published on Oct. 22, 2024.

A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives.

On Oct. 22, 1962, in a nationally broadcast address, President John F. Kennedy revealed the presence of Soviet-built missile bases under construction in Cuba and announced a naval blockade of all offensive military equipment being shipped to the Communist island nation.

The Cuban missile crisis of October 1962 was a direct and dangerous confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union during the Cold War and was the moment when the two superpowers came closest to nuclear conflict.

Historians say the crisis — which came to the forefront on Oct. 16 and was deescalated about Oct. 28 — was unique in several ways, featuring calculations and m

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