What caused the Cuban Missile Crisis?
Both sides, tell a slightly different story about what caused the Cuban Missile Crisis, but the basic facts remain the same. The Soviet Union was worried about the ballistic missiles armed with nuclear warheads that the US had installed in Europe, particularly in Italy, the UK and Turkey. After the failed attempts to overthrow the Cuban government by the US, the Soviet Union decided to secretly begin building bases for nuclear missiles, capable of striking the US, in Cuba. On October 14, 1962, a reconnaissance aircraft photographed the missile bases under construction. This is how the Cuban Missile Crisis began.

Tensions quickly rose between the United States, the Soviet Union and Cuba. The US considered an all out attack on Cuba, but instead prevented Cuba from receiving offensive weapons by air or sea. A stand off quickly developed, and a US aircraft was shot down. Fortunately, secret talks began between the countries and they eventually came up with a compromise. The Soviets would remove nuclear missiles from Cuba and the US would remove theirs from Europe and Turkey. A special telephone hotline was created between the US and the USSR so the leaders could communicate in the event of another crisis.

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What Causes Tsunamis?
Tsunamis are generally caused by seismic activity of some kind whether that be an earthquake or a volcanic eruption. They can also be caused by an underwater landslide or a meteoroid impact. Tsunamis that are caused by an earthquake are the most common. It all begins when two tectonic plates come in contact with one another underneath the ocean or other body of water. One plate slides under the other and become stuck in a certain place. The plates continue to move and this builds up a large amount of force causing the rock around the area where the plates are stuck to become distorted. The force eventually builds up along the section of rock that is stuck and the overriding plate suddenly slides back into its original position. This creates an earthquake and displaces the overlying water. The wave begins to travel outwards from where the earthquake occurred.

Tsunamis that are caused by volcanic eruption are usually caused by an old magma chamber collapsing. This causes a large depression to form in the ocean floor very quickly. Water rushes into this new depression causing a displacement wave, which can trigger a tsunami.

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What Caused the American Civil War?

The northern States believed slavery was wrong while the southern States supported slavery. Many historians believe that war was inevitable due these two contrasting views. In the presidential election of 1860, Republican Abraham Lincoln campaigned against the expansion of slavery and the Republicans won that election. Both the North and South believed that slavery would die out if it could not expand. Therefore, Lincoln did not want slavery to expand into new territories that were being formed. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln, 11 Southern States declared secession (withdrawal from the United States) and formed the Confederate States of America. The Union (the name given to the rest of the United States) believed this was a rebellion.

The Civil War ultimately started on April 12, 1861 when Confederate forces attacked a Union military installation at Fort Sumter (that is why it is called the Battle of Fort Sumter). Four more Southern Slave States joined the Confederate States of America after Lincoln called for a volunteer army from each state. The Civil War was the deadliest in the history of the United States, costing the lives of 620,000 soldiers and an unknown number of civilians. However, it led to the abolition of slavery in the United States and led to changes which made the country a ‘superpower’.

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